PALLIATIVE CARE CONSULTANT
To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors.
-TIA WALKER
Watching our loved ones face
life-limiting illnesses and difficult diagnoses can be heart-wrenching.
I provide invaluable guidance to individuals and families, offering expert assistance in navigating and creating a palliative care plan that prioritizes comfort over curative care.
As your educator and companion in the palliative care journey, I facilitate decision-making processes. This includes navigating and guiding family and caregiver conversations, assisting in establishing goals of care, and providing support during critical decision points. My role is to help individuals and families navigate these complex systems, understand the realities, and explore best outcomes.
With a background in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and serving as a lead charge nurse of the palliative care department at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, I have guided individuals and families through this journey for over 12 years. I strive to empower them to comprehend the best outcomes and make informed, compassionate decisions regarding palliative and end-of-life care.
If you find yourself with the need to navigate next steps in palliative care and require support, I am here to provide the assistance and understanding you need during this challenging time.
The Journey of Palliative Care
1.
Something happens,
and immediate decisions need to be made.
Often the need for a palliative care consult and plan can be immediate. Often when people are suffering from a life-limiting illness, conversations about end-of-life have not been had, and can leave people struggling to make decisions in the acute setting.
It can become overwhelming very quickly. My work is to help guide you through this
process and discern a care plan that will inspire the best outcomes for the patient.
3.
Discovery of aligned long-term goals and creating a Care Plan.
As individuals and families move towards agreement on an individual's palliative care needs, we can have more honest and open conversations around the goals of care to create a Care Plan.
The Care Plan ultimately connects palliative care to end-of-life care to create the most comfort for all persons involved.
2.
When others are involved, differing opinions can create friction.
Having a palliative care plan that everyone involved agrees upon is imperative.
Reaching consensus is a process, and often challenging. Family conversations allow us to focus on the person, not the patient. I facilitate these conversations to create calm, collaboration, and plans that support the best outcomes. We will reach a consensus as a group that mutually aligns the client and the family.
4.
Knowing when to transition to Hospice.
As we all know, life is not infinite, and we all hope that our final days are the most comfortable as we transition to death. We also want this for our loved ones.
Transitioning from skilled nursing to hospice is a journey in itself, and many folks need support to best understand when it is time. Often, engaging these services sooner rather than later at the end-of-life setting can create the best outcomes for easeful days at the end of life.
I would be honored to be part of this journey.
Services
One:One Conversations
Understand and share your story. The goal of this is to connect, and learn about the situation and what is needed next.
We might make collaborative decisions together on this call, or we might strategize how to talk with others if more is needed.
This is also the time when we have the opportunity to better understand palliative care, hospice care, and the journey between them both.
Family Conversations
If there are more folks involved, such as family members who have differing views, we will take this time to strategize or have that conversation.
I will help facilitate deeper understandings of the protocols, ethics, and morals. This conversation is held with absolute compassion for all involved.
The goal is consensus, so we can move forward with a protocol that respects the quality of life for the patient, and the needs of the family.