For people with serious illnesses and their families, palliative care provides relief from pain and other symptoms and supports the best quality of life for the longest time possible.
Search tip: Palliative care, hospice care, pain management, and advanced care planning often overlap. You may find the information you want by searching for more than one of the terms.
The LISVH partners with Good Shepherd Hospice to provide hospice care. Good Shepherd Hospice aims to "provide medical, emotional and spiritual care for people whose life expectancy is less than 6 months, as well support for their families. Hospice care focuses on quality of life and symptom management rather than treatments aimed at curing advanced illness."
You can also look at Hospice & Palliative Care Association of New York State, which has a specific section on hospice care for veterans.
Doctors, nurses, patients, families, and legal surrogates all contribute to the medical decisions made as a patient approaches the end of their life. All the parties should be prepared for the legal and ethical issues involved.
Search tip: Trying searching for words like advanced directive, advanced care planning, end-of-life decisions, or living wills.
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