06-22-2022 Primetime Livnig - Flipbook - Page 30
30 A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Quality of life, continued from page 18
ers. When the patient is open and willing
to try something, we see the positive
results. And each palliative care plan is
customized for the individual.”
“The Integrative and Palliative Medicine
program is available to all patients
receiving outpatient cancer treatment at
GBMC,” according to the GBMC website
(www.gbmc.org/integrative-medicine).
“Our integrative and palliative medicine
team is focused on caring for a patient’s
mind, body and spirit. Services are offered
free of charge to help prevent and manage symptoms for cancer patients who
are experiencing pain, fatigue, depression, or anxiety.”
Some of the services Gilchrist and
GBMC has added in its integrative and
palliative medicine program include:
• Nutrition consultations
• Evidence-supported approaches to
supplement use
• Meditation
• Guided imagery
• Reiki
• Massage
• Craniosacral therapy
• Yoga-based wellness classes
One change Schwoyer-Morgan has
observed is that doctors are now recognizing that there are different ways to handle illness. “When someone is receiving
palliative care, hope is a big component
so, at first, the clinicians were worried we
weren’t being supportive when we recommended these alternatives. Once they
learned about the offerings and saw how
their patients responded, they were more
accepting of what we contributed and
are happy to make referrals. Now we’re
meeting patients earlier … when they are
diagnosed. Patients trust the specialist,
the oncologist and their team, and understand we’re there to help them cope with
their illness, to figure out what’s next.”
What differentiates palliative care from
regular care? It’s about the interdisciplinary team that works with a patient and
his or her family. This team takes into
consideration support for the social, emotional and practical aspects of the illness
along with the medical care. If you opt for
palliative care, you’ll have a specialized
team, depending on your specific requirements, in addition to your clinician: doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors,
nutritionists and chaplains. So, it’s both
personal and holistic. If palliative care is
not offered, you can request it.
Another differentiator is that someone
can recover from the illness or disease, or
the symptoms decrease so palliative care
is no longer necessary. If, on the other
hand, the patient declines, and the goals
change, care may shift to hospice.
Schwoyer-Morgan sums it up succinctly. “We make a difference with everyone we touch. Some more, some less,
but we make a difference.” Patients value
that.
Hospice Care
“Hospice is always palliative,” Denise
Conway, hospice administrator for Stella
Maris, says. “It becomes an option when
a person receives a prognosis of six
months or less. We provide patient-centered comfort care, whatever patients
need, along with spiritual care. Spiritual
care is not necessarily religious. It can
be but doesn’t have to be. It’s whatever
your spiritual journey is. We provided the
state’s first integrated home hospice and
inpatient hospice program in 1983.”
Hospice is a specialized program for
terminally ill persons and their families.
Rather than focusing on curative measures, the goal of hospice is directed
toward palliative care for the patient’s
comfort, pain alleviation, symptom management and support for the family.
“Hospice isn’t just for the patients,” says
Conway. “We’re there for the families and
the caregivers, too.
A majority of hospice care takes
place in the patient’s home or wherever
a person calls home, where they are most
comfortable: a continuing care retirement
community or assisted living facility, small
group homes or nursing homes. If the
symptoms or pain require additional care,
the person may be moved to an inpatient
facility; once everything is under control,
they can return to their residence.
Mark McKenzie, administrator, and
Steph Walker, divisional director of business development, oversee ProMedica
Senior Care’s hospice and palliative care
in the Maryland region. ProMedica is a
not-for-profit organization, operates multiple skilled nursing facilities in Baltimore
City and Baltimore, Anne Arundel,
Harford, Howard, Prince Georges, and
Montgomery counties and partners with
Stella Maris in Baltimore County to provide some of its hospice services.
“Both hospice and palliative care are
unique to the individual,” Walker explains.
“There is no cookie cutter plan. Based on
the symptoms, with an interdisciplinary
team, you get to create a plan to bring you
the best life possible for the time remaining. We view hospice as something intimate, a beautiful experience that ensures
you are safe and loved.”
“When it comes to hospice patients,
we focus on the three Rs,” McKenzie
adds, “restoration of dignity, reconciliation of relationships, and renewal of hope
for the patients and those who love them.
Too often, people are treated as the disease, not as an individual. We love advocating and supporting patients.”
“There’s a terrific family and caregiver
benefit you can receive from Medicare
that few know about or take advantage
of,” says Walker, “and that’s respite care.
Sometimes the caregivers, whether or
not they are family, are overwhelmed and
exhausted with caring for the hospice
patient at home and just need a break.
For them, respite care is available. With
the recommendation of a social worker,
the patient is moved to a skilled nursing
facility for up to five days. It alleviates the
pressure on the caregivers. This can be
repeated and some use it every month.”
“Stella Maris, operated by the Sisters
of Mercy, is known for its kindness,”
Conway says, “Our hospice patients
receive visits from different disciplines,
not just the nurses; maybe it’s the counselor, chaplain or social worker. You never
know what someone is dealing with. And
we offer grief and loss counseling for
up to 13 months after a loved one has
passed.”
Gilchrist’s Counseling and Support
Program “offers a wide range of services
to meet your needs. Gilchrist can help
whether your loved one has just received
a serious or life-limiting diagnosis or is
already receiving our care. Our counselors
are available to provide emotional support
before and after a loss through one-onone grief counseling, support groups,
workshops, and remembrance events,”
according to its website.
Both ProMedica and Gilchrist offer
navigators, trained personnel to help families with any questions and to connect
them to resources that can help them.
Stella Maris and Mercy Medical Center,
Gilchrist and GBMC, and ProMedica
are excellent organizations that revere,
respect and care deeply for palliative care
and hospice care patients and their families. If or when the time comes that you or
someone you care about needs one or the
other, know that they all will go above and
beyond to provide comfort and support
throughout.
Your Action Item
With age, we all lose people precious
to us and wish for them the compassionate care as described above if needed. In
any case, especially for those for whom
you’re responsible, it’s essential to know
what they want for the end of life. For
that to happen, everyone should have
an advance directive. Only this document allows you to plan for future health
care decisions and what type of care you
receive if you are not able to speak for
yourself.
What happens when you don’t have
the conversation with those important
to you? Your next of kin has to make a
choice in a vacuum. As one woman put it
when she had to choose for her parents,
“Not knowing what they would want is an
unbelievable burden to put on people.”
A form is downloadable from the office
of the Maryland Attorney General. On the
same page is a video along with additional instructions. You’ll want to share
this with your family, friends and your
doctor. As it says in the introduction, “The
conversation is just as important as the
document.” www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/HealthPolicy/advancedirectives.aspx
Other forms you may want to include
are MOLST (Medical Orders for LifeSustaining Treatment) at http://marylandmolst.org/, and one for organ donation.
It goes on to say: “Life-threatening illness is a difficult subject to deal with. If
you plan now, however, your choices can
be respected, and you can relieve at least
some of the burden from your loved ones
in the future.”
Be kind to your family and do this today.
Qualtiy of life,
continued on next page