Palliative Care

When facing advanced illness, patients and families often find the accompanying physical, emotional and spiritual issues can dramatically affect their experience and quality of life. Suddenly, previously tolerable physical symptoms may become un- bearable, new symptoms may develop and/or family dynamics may reach a level of crisis. At Martha Jefferson Hospital, physicians, nurses, patients and their families can turn to the Martha Jefferson Palliative Care Team for help and support. 

Defining Palliative Care - "A Cloak of Caring and Comfort"

The term Palliative Care is derived from the original Latin root word palliare meaning "to cloak." Palliative Care at Martha Jefferson is an integrated network of care that draws a cloak of support and comfort around the patient and his/her family. Martha Jefferson is operating under the following definition for Palliative Care through our inpatient program.

Palliative Care aims to relieve suffering and improve quality of life for patients with advanced illness and their families. Palliative Care is provided by an interdisciplinary team and offered in conjunction with all other appropriate forms of medical treatment, especially to support vigorous pain and symptom management.

Martha Jefferson has had such a team since early 2006. The current team includes Palliative Care Advanced Practice Nurse, Mina Ford, Chaplain, Suzanne Hilton Smith, and Hospice of the Piedmont Palliative Care Consulting Physician, Dr. Tim Short. Working together, they provide palliative care support to inpatients and their families.