PALLIATIVE & HOSPICE CARE

Compassionate Care for serious illness

A serious illness affects more than just the body. It touches all areas of a person's life, as well as the lives of the person's family members. Patients and their families face stress during illness that can lead to fear, anxiety, hopelessness or depression. 

Thistlecreek's hospice and palliative care services both offer compassionate care to patients with life limiting illnesses. Both are meant to bring comfort and relief, but they differ in some important ways.

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Palliative Care

Palliative care can begin at diagnosis, and at the same time as treatment.

This type of care aims to ease pain but is also focused on relieving symptoms associated with the patient’s condition while receiving active treatment. It helps people live with the symptoms of long-term illnesses such as cancer, kidney disease or AIDS, or with the side effects of the treatments.

Palliative care doesn’t replace other treatments, it’s additional support that helps you and your family address side effects such as nausea, loss of appetite, nerve pain, or shortness of breath. 

Even in cases where an illness is expected to be fatal, Thistlecreek caregivers provide support and care to help you or your loved one have the quality of life they deserve.

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Hospice Care

Hospice care begins after treatment of the disease is stopped and for those who have learned from their doctors that they are not expected to recover from their condition. Those in hospice care generally are expected to have less than 6 months to live. Hospice care is focused on making your loved one comfortable, easing pain and helping families prepare for the end of life. 

Care is often provided at home, however we can also provide care if your loved one is in a  nursing home, hospital or specialized center for hospice care.

Our goal at Thistlecreek is to focus on quality of life with an emphasis on maintaining the independence and respecting the dignity of your loved one.