Palliative Care

St. Francis Palliative Care

St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii has long been known for identifying and successfully meeting health care needs in the community. Palliative care, the newest addition to the services offered by St. Francis Healthcare System, is specialized care aimed at optimizing quality of living for individuals and their loved ones by relieving pain and suffering caused by serious illness. It focuses on the health of the whole person – body, mind and spirit. In addition to providing palliative care in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living centers, St. Francis also offers an outpatient palliative care clinic.

Since 1978, palliative care has been offered to terminally ill patients of St. Francis Hospice to make them as comfortable as possible. Now, St. Francis is taking its experience in palliative care and providing it for other types of patients. The same kind of compassionate care, pain and symptom management, and psychosocial and spiritual support is now available to help people who are seriously ill – many of whom may be still receiving life-prolonging or curative treatment.

Individualized Care Plan

When a serious illness is diagnosed or a person’s condition becomes worse, some may choose to try every medical treatment possible, while others may want to discontinue treatment and focus solely on pain relief. Therefore, it’s important for the physician, the palliative care team and loved ones to know the wishes, needs and concerns of patients so that their care plan meets their specific needs.

Support by an Interdisciplinary Care Team

Palliative care services are provided by a multidisciplinary team of professionals. These include a physician medical director, nurse practitioner, social worker, and chaplain, who work closely with the patient’s primary care physician to ensure the best possible care and support for the patient and family.

The goals of the palliative care team:

Enhance the quality of life for patients and their loved ones
Help them better understand and cope with all aspects of the illness

A Variety of Settings

Palliative care may be delivered in a variety of health care settings:

Hospitals
Specialist’s clinics
Nursing homes
Assisted living facilities

St. Francis Palliative Care Outpatient Clinic

Patients and family members may visit the outpatient clinic for:
Consultations
Patient education
Assistance about pain and symptom management
Options for care
End-of-life decision-making

2228 Liliha Street, Suite 307

Honolulu

Call 808-547-8068 for an appointment.

Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by appointment only.

Frequently Asked Questions about Palliative Care

When may an individual start receiving palliative care?

With a doctor’s referral, palliative care may be provided at any stage of an illness and can be provided simultaneously with curative treatment.

Who benefits from palliative care?

Palliative care can help:
Patients who are experiencing physical pain and emotional or spiritual suffering because of serious or advanced illness
Patients and families who need help understanding treatment options
Patients who need help expressing their goals about care and treatment during the course of the disease.

What illnesses are appropriate for palliative care?

Palliative care is appropriate for:

Cancer
Heart disease
Kidney failure
Stroke
Parkinson’s disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Respiratory disease
Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
Any condition in which patients experience progressive cognitive and functional decline.

Patients on organ transplant wait lists also benefit from understanding their condition, options for care, and assistance with symptom management.

What is symptom management?

A primary goal of palliative care is to manage the symptoms that may accompany serious illness. This may or may not accompany treatment of the underlying disease. Palliative care can address the following symptoms:

Relieving pain
Shortness of breath
Nausea
Vomiting
Constipation
Fatigue
Loss of appetite
Difficulty sleeping