Care Management and Communication
Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s palliative care team helps with communication and care management among doctors, nurses, counselors and other care providers. They set clear treatment goals and support them through hard medical decisions. They keep the family updated on the patient’s condition.
The team assesses the patient’s pain and symptoms, makes treatment recommendations specific to the situation and finds community support services.
General Inpatient Hospice
Patients who qualify for hospice and their families can find even more support during this difficult time with Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s General Inpatient Hospice program. Offered through Care Dimensions, the program aims to improve end-of-life care by providing 24-hour care in a serene environment, while family can spend quality time together during the final days or hours of life.
Under this program, patients nearing the end of life who cannot be transferred home or to an outside hospice facility will, after a discussion with their Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital caregivers, be evaluated by Care Dimensions. If they qualify, the patient is discharged from Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital and then readmitted under the hospice benefit. The team from Care Dimensions then comes in to collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital caregivers and provide additional support to the patient’s family, including bereavement counseling and volunteer support. The patient will continue to receive management of acute symptoms by their Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital care team, including the Palliative Care Consult Service and nursing staff, in addition to the services provided by Care Dimensions.
