Palliative Care

Palliative care—which seeks to improve quality of life for people facing serious or terminal illness—often evokes many questions. For example: Is palliative care the same as hospice? (It’s not, although that’s a common misconception.) Below, we address the top myths and questions to help you understand how palliative care could help you or your loved […]

Palliative care—which treats serious illness with a team of professionals including physicians, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and mental health counselors—can be an effective way to help Parkinson’s patients and their families optimize their quality of life. A whole-person approach that emphasizes compassionate care, palliative care addresses the medical side of the disease

Months after her husband died, Ruth was told to vacate the home they shared for 40 years. She was 96 years old, frail, grieving, and all alone. Seniors At Home’s Palliative Care team had cared for Ruth’s husband Eddie before he passed away, and stepped in to support Ruth with this difficult transition. Without family

If you or a loved one are experiencing a serious or terminal illness, you’ll likely hear the terms ‘palliative care’ and ‘hospice care’ over the course of treatment. Though the terms are often used interchangeably, palliative care and hospice are not the same thing. So what is the difference between palliative care vs. hospice? In

Death is never an easy thing to talk about. But last Thursday, a sold-out crowd of over 900 people packed the Castro Theatre for End of Life: A Theatrical Exploration of Death, Dying, and Suffering—a thought-provoking performance by award-winning actors Frances McDormand and David Strathairn and a community conversation about death, suffering, and the mortality

Two Palliative Care Volunteers Share their Stories The first time Gary Stower arrived to meet with Charlie, a critically ill client of Seniors At Home, Charlie point-blank said, “So, why are you here?” Gary, who had recently completed Seniors At Home’s in-depth Palliative Care Volunteer Training Program, was initially thrown by the question. His training

This article was written by Redwing Keyssar, RN, Author, and Director of Palliative Care at Seniors At Home.  “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” – Teilhard de Chardin “Our ultimate goal, after all, is not a good death but a good life to the

The highlight of Norma’s week is when Marianne comes by to visit. The friends shop and run errands, share tea, and catch up about how Norma, age 85, is doing. The women first met three years ago when Earl, Norma’s husband, had a health crisis. Norma was distraught and overwhelmed, and Seniors At Home, Earl’s Home

Teresa*, a woman in her 60’s, was supported by Seniors At Home’s Palliative Care Team after she was diagnosed with cancer last year. Below, she shares her palliative care story of the support she received through her treatment, and of coming full circle. When I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, I felt lost and overwhelmed.