Palliative care aims to relieve suffering and improve quality of life for patients with advanced illness and their families. Palliative care services are provided by a team of caregivers that includes physicians, nurses, social workers and chaplains. It is offered simultaneously with all other appropriate medical treatments. Hospice care is meant specifically for those approaching the last stages of life, whereas palliative care is appropriate for any stage of a serious illness.
Transitions and Life Choices (TLC) is the name of Fairview Health Services’ palliative care program. The goals of the program are to deliver state of the art palliative care through specialized interdisciplinary teams while improving the quality of care for patients and their families throughout Fairview. The TLC staff work with the patient’s physician and other members of the health care team to help relieve physical, spiritual and emotional suffering while making the most of life. The care is centered on the unique needs of each patient. It seeks to promote the highest quality of life and comfort while honoring the traditions and beliefs of the patient and family.
Patients cared for by palliative care experts can expect:
- Relief of pain and other symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath and anxiety
- Attention to all sources of distress that impact healing, including social and spiritual issues
- Clear communication among the patient, their family and the health care team
- Smooth transitions between care settings
- Well-informed decisions about all aspects of care
- A plan for treatment that is consistent with patient goals and values
Circle of Life Award
In 2006, Fairview System Director of Palliative Care Lyn Ceronsky accepted the prestigious national Circle of Life Award for our programs to improve care of patients near the end of life or with life-threatening conditions. Specifically, the Circle of Life Award was given for Fairview’s Transitions and Life Choices (TLC) systemwide palliative care program. Highlights of this program include:
- TLC homecare provides palliative care to individuals who have more than six months to live or are pursuing curative therapies in spite of a poor prognosis.
- Interdisciplinary consult teams provide palliative care in hospital settings.
- An outpatient palliative care clinic opened in early 2005 to provide palliative care to community patients. This clinic is the first of its kind in the Twin Cities.
- TLC supports a family conference initiative, a bereavement program for patients who die in the acute care setting, and specialized resources for children of adult patients.
- Art, poetry and music therapists work with pediatric patients at the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital, Fairview through the financial support of community donations.
- If you are a Fairview employee enrolled in a Fairview medical plan, you have access to TLC services as part of your medical coverage.
About the Circle of Life Award
The Circle of Life Award celebrates programs across the nation that have made great strides in palliative and end-of-life care. The awards are supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, N.J and are sponsored by the American Hospital Association, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, the American Medical Association and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Fairview Health Services was one of three organizations honored in 2006 by the Circle of Life Award Program. Four additional programs received honorable mentions.
Fairview Health Services was chosen by a selection committee made up of leaders from medicine, nursing, social work, and health administration. The committee focused on innovative programs that respect patient goals and preferences, provide comprehensive care, acknowledge and address the family or caregivers’ concerns and needs, and build systems and mechanisms of support to continue the program for future patients and caregivers.
This is the seventh year for the Circle of Life Award. For more information on the Circle of Life Award, visit www.aha.org/circleoflife.
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