When a person receives a cancer diagnosis, it can be overwhelming. The physical and emotional toll the disease can take makes it a challenging battle to overcome. At Ardent Hospice and Palliative Care, we offer services that are personalized for cancer patients to help them win the fight against the disease. Here are a few of the ways our nurses and team support cancer patients to help them find their strength.
- Patients receive additional care while still undergoing treatment.
With palliative care, patients continue to undergo the treatment plan laid out by their primary care doctor and/or oncologist. We’re upfront with patients when they first begin care so that they know we’re here to work alongside their current physicians providing additional care beyond their chemotherapy or radiation treatments and doctor visits.
- They receive personal care and attention from a dedicated nurse.
Coming onto palliative care services essentially gives a patient their own dedicated nurse. Typically, the same nurse will visit a patient on each visit, so patients receive personal, consistent care. That nurse works as an extra set of eyes, getting to know the patient—personally and medically—so that nothing goes unnoticed. Our patients can also turn to their nurse—or anyone on Ardent’s team—at any time to ask questions about their treatment, care, or prognosis.
- Having a team to support them often increases patient morale and emotional health.
While we care for patients medically and physically, we’re very committed to caring for their emotional and mental health as well. We know that a cancer diagnosis can be devastating to patients and their families, and because of that, we offer emotional support throughout their treatment. Our social worker and nurses are there to encourage patients, listen to their fears, and help them navigate the emotional stress they may be facing. Knowing they have a team to support them whenever they need often gives patients a boost in morale and the extra resolve they need to fight the disease.
- We play the role of mediator between patient, doctor, and family.
Sometimes, when a patient leaves an appointment with their doctor or oncologist, they’re confused and aren’t sure exactly what the next steps are in their treatment plan. Our nurses are able to communicate with their doctor to gather more information and relay it to patients and their families in a way they can understand. Similarly, we can keep the doctor up to date on our patient’s progression, based on what our nurses see in their day-to-day visits.
- Our social worker can connect them to additional benefits and resources.
Besides providing emotional support, our social worker can help patients and families apply for additional resources and benefits to help with their care. Many of these might be opportunities families don’t know they have access to; for instance, patients might be able to receive IHSS caregiving services or certain benefit resources they’re not using. We’re able to take the burden of filling out forms and applications off the family’s shoulders, so they can spend more time with their loved one.
- We give the patient a voice.
The patient is always our number one priority. We are their advocates when it comes to their care, comfort, and wishes. In times where a patient is done fighting, they’re exhausted and just want to focus on comfort, we can help them have the difficult conversation with their family about their choice. And when they’ve hit an emotional or mental roadblock in their fight against the disease, we’re able to help them find their voice and, ultimately, their strength.
- We help our patients prepare for their future.
When patients go into remission from cancer and are no longer in need of our services, we connect them with the resources (such as home health), support groups, and assistance to help them maintain their health. In the event a patient does need to transition into hospice care, they already have a relationship with their nurse and our team. Their concerns are usually mitigated because they know they have a supportive team who really cares for them and will be there for them every step of their journey.
For more information on Ardent’s palliative care program, visit us online or call 559-408-5945.
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