Elder gentleman sits on sofa speaking with medical provider.

Palliative Care

Palliative Care at UVM Health

If you or someone you love has a serious illness that negatively affects their quality of life or shortens life expectancy, our palliative care providers can help. At University of Vermont Health, you’re in the compassionate hands of physicians and advanced practice providers with advanced training and board certifications in palliative care.

Palliative care is within reach no matter where you live. We offer inpatient and outpatient services for adults and pediatric palliative care for children throughout Vermont and northern New York to help manage symptoms brought on by serious, chronic conditions. Our goal is to help you or your loved one live as well as possible for as long as possible.

A Home Health and Hospice nurse smiles with a resident of the McClure Miller Respite House.

Woman supports elderly man with walker during palliative care.

A gentleman in a wheelchair laughs while speaking to another gentleman in a kitchen.

Why Choose UVM Health?

We offer:

A focus on you: We spend time learning what’s most important to you and your loved ones. We use this information to work with your providers and ensure your treatment plans match your wants and needs.
Dedicated team of experts: Your care team may include physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers and chaplains. This team collaborates with every department within our health system. They focus on improving your symptoms and thinking about ways to enhance your quality of life.
Comprehensive support: Our team will focus on understanding the challenges that come with living with a serious illness. We can assist you and your caregivers with insurance and financial issues, in-home care arrangements, advanced directives and other concerns. We also work with Child Life specialists who help children understand a loved one's illness.
Compassionate care: Through our work with TalkVermont, TalkNY and the Vermont Conversation Lab, we’re improving how providers communicate and listen to those affected by serious illnesses. We help providers have more open, empathetic conversations that promote better patient care.

What Is Palliative Care?

Palliative care specialists focus on improving quality of life through services that manage and ease disease symptoms. Palliative care services is an extra layer of support to complement or support ongoing standard medical treatments. This is a key distinction between palliative care and hospice care.

Hospice care takes place toward the end of life when a patient chooses to stop disease-directed therapies and instead focus on their quality of life. Hospice care helps patients chart their own path.

You may benefit from palliative care if you have a serious, chronic illness, such as:

Any type of cancer
Heart, lung, liver or kidney disease
Neurological disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke or Alzheimer’s disease

Palliative Care Services

Our palliative care providers improve quality of life for patients while also helping to support caregivers and loved ones. You are a valued and important member of your care team. We work with you to understand your goals and preferences and help find the right palliative care options for your unique needs.

Palliative care services include:

Discussing what matter most to you and supporting your goals through a care plan
Managing pain related to serious illness, sometimes by partnering with the Comprehensive Pain Program
Easing other symptoms, such as nausea, loss of appetite and breathing problems
Coordinating complementary therapies, such as acupuncture, massage and reiki
Mental health support for depression, anxiety and other issues
Spiritual care and bereavement support for patients and loved ones
Streamlining of care and communication between patients and care teams
Palliative support services, including: music therapy, emotional support, community education

What to Expect

Your health care provider may refer you to our palliative care team. You have access to palliative care services through:

Inpatient services at our hospitals
Outpatient services at our clinics to support patients with cancer and ALS
Digital health options, including video visits
Limited in-home visits for those unable to travel or participate in video visits

You can also use MyChart for 24/7 access to medical information and to communicate with care teams.

Donate

Support Palliative Care

Gifts to this specialized program will help us continue this important work and provide services throughout the community. We appreciate your support.