As a 72-year-old woman with advanced heart failure, Maria had been in and out of the hospital for months. Each admission left her more exhausted and anxious, and her family felt increasingly overwhelmed. Her medications were continuously changing, she did not feel like anyone was addressing her progressive fatigue and the lack of improvement in her condition over multiple hospital stays was discouraging.
Where could Maria find help with addressing her real concerns and hard questions? One answer: under the care of a palliative care team.
Palliative care is specialized care focused on improving quality of life for patients with serious illnesses and is provided by a specially trained team of providers, nurses, social workers, chaplains and other specialists. It addresses physical symptoms like pain and breathlessness, but also emotional, spiritual and social distress. Additionally, palliative care teams will help identify patients’ guiding values, priorities, hopes and beliefs, using them to align medical treatment plans with those unique patient characteristics.
Importantly, palliative care is not limited to end-of-life care (as hospice programs are)—it is ideally integrated early in the course of illness, alongside curative treatments. The goal is to align medical care with what matters most to the patient, whether that’s being physically more comfortable, continuing to pursue important hobbies or simply feeling less afraid.
At UofL Health, we are continuing to build our palliative care to better serve the needs of our patients and their loved ones. Please check out any of our locations below for more information:
Inpatient Palliative Care Services
UofL Health – Jewish Hospital
200 Abraham Flexner Way
Louisville, KY 40202
502-587-4011
UofL Health – Mary & Elizabeth Hospital
1850 Bluegrass Avenue
Louisville, KY 40215
502-587-4391
UofL Health – UofL Hospital
530 S. Jackson Street
Louisville, KY 40202
502-562-3000
Outpatient Palliative Care Services
UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center
529 S. Jackson Street, Third Floor
Louisville, KY 40202
502-562-4370
University of Louisville Trager Institute/Republic Bank Foundation Optimal Aging Clinic
204 East Market Street, Suite 3A
Louisville, KY 40202
502-587-4391
