Palliative care offers a comprehensive approach to patient well-being, addressing not just physical comfort but also emotional, spiritual, and psychological needs. It recognizes each patient as an individual, respecting their dignity and personal journey through illness. Crucially, Palliative Care Programs extend their support to family members, acknowledging their integral role and ensuring they are well-informed and supported throughout the process.
At the heart of a palliative care program is a commitment to personalized care. Recognizing that every individual’s experience is unique, the care team collaborates closely with patients, their families, and their primary clinicians. This partnership ensures that treatment plans are tailored to reflect the patient’s values, preferences, and what truly matters most to them. This collaborative approach results in a care plan that is as unique as the individual it serves.
Our Vision for Palliative Care
We aspire to create a healthcare landscape where comfort and enhancing quality of life are central pillars in the care of individuals facing illness or injury, and for their families. Our vision embraces the acceptance of illness, caregiving, the natural process of death, and grief as normal and healthy parts of life for individuals, families, and within our communities.
Mission of the Palliative Care Program
The Jack Byrne Center: Specialized Inpatient Palliative Care
For those in the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont, the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care provides specialized, short-term inpatient palliative care services close to home. The center offers a dedicated space for those requiring intensive palliative support.
Learn more about the Jack Byrne Center.
The Palliative Care Program is dedicated to improving the comfort and overall quality of life for patients and their families grappling with life-limiting illnesses or injuries and complex medical needs. This commitment extends across Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, the Dartmouth Alliance, and healthcare providers throughout our region. We pursue this mission by delivering and promoting exceptional clinical care, engaging in ongoing research, providing comprehensive education for our team, trainees, and colleagues, and actively participating in community initiatives aimed at broadening access to and enhancing the quality of palliative care within our community.
Central to the Palliative Care Program’s ethos is a commitment to excellence. We continually strive to identify patients who would benefit from specialized palliative interventions and are dedicated to the ongoing improvement of care quality and our clinical services. Our team champions best practices in end-of-life care, fosters innovative strategies to serve patients and families, and proactively seeks opportunities to optimize resource utilization.
Supportive Care and Understanding at Every Step
Our primary goal is to deliver comprehensive and supportive care across all healthcare settings, ensuring seamless transitions and consistent support for patients and families:
- In the comfort of home: Palliative care extends beyond hospital walls, offering support in the home environment.
- During hospital stays: Integrating palliative care within hospitalizations ensures continuous comfort and support during acute phases of illness.
- Through transitions to hospice care: Palliative care programs facilitate a smooth transition to hospice care when appropriate, ensuring continuity of care and support.
- In outpatient clinic settings: Access to palliative care in outpatient clinics allows for ongoing management of symptoms and support for chronic conditions.
Our palliative care team is composed of a diverse group of professionals and clinicians, each bringing unique training, skills, and compassion. Every team member is experienced in providing counseling and support to individuals and families navigating what can be the most challenging times in their lives.
The team includes:
- Specialized palliative care physicians, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses, all experts in pain and symptom management.
- Skilled social workers and grief counselors providing emotional and psychosocial support.
- Healing arts practitioners offering therapies to enhance well-being.
- Non-denominational spiritual care coordinators providing spiritual and existential support.
- Carefully selected and trained volunteers from the community, offering companionship and practical assistance.
- Creative Arts Specialists utilizing creative expression as a therapeutic tool.
Who Can Benefit from a Palliative Care Program?
Our program offers personalized services, resources, and unwavering support for patients facing a broad spectrum of medical challenges. Palliative care is beneficial for individuals living with a variety of conditions, including:
- Cancer: Managing symptoms and side effects of cancer and its treatment at any stage.
- Cardiac Issues: Addressing heart failure, heart valve problems, and other cardiac conditions to improve quality of life.
- Complex Surgical or Medical Issues: Providing support during prolonged or repeated hospitalizations due to complex medical needs.
- Neurological Issues: Supporting individuals with stroke, ALS, and other neurological conditions, focusing on function and comfort.
- Any Serious Medical Illness: Palliative care is appropriate for any serious illness that may significantly impact quality of life or life expectancy for the patient and their family.
It’s important to understand that patients often receive palliative care concurrently with other medical treatments, such as intensive care, advanced cardiac care, and specialized cancer treatments, including participation in clinical trials. Palliative care is distinct from hospice care and is typically initiated earlier in the course of an illness. Research has demonstrated that palliative care, when delivered alongside other medical care, significantly improves quality of life for both patients and their caregivers, enhances symptom management, and in some cases, can even improve survival outcomes.
Please see our Services page for a detailed list of the comprehensive services we provide to patients and their families through our Palliative Care Program.
