Palliative Care

Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with a serious illness. This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms you may be facing to improve the quality of life for you and your family. Think of it as a bridge between you, your family and your health care team – an extra layer to help strengthen your support circle.

What Do We Do?

We are here to advocate, listen, support and educate you and your family in an effort to empower you to make informed decisions. We will ensure that your wishes, goals and choices are identified, respected and honored at any stage of your illness.

 We will:

  • Help you and your family understand your illness and treatment options
  • Reduce symptoms of your medical condition, such as pain, shortness of breath or emotional distress
  • Improve quality of life for you and your family
  • Increase your comfort, independence and activity
  • Work with you, your family and your doctors to create a plan of care and support system that meets your needs through all steps of your medical condition
  • Provide continual education about your disease or illness and what you can expect

Who Is on the Palliative Care Team?

MercyOne's palliative care team includes a specially trained nurse practitioner, nurse, social worker and spiritual care who work with your doctors, nurses and other specialists to provide support.

What Medical Conditions May Be Appropriate for Palliative Care?

Serious illness and ongoing medical conditions that are appropriate for palliative care services may include, but are not limited to:

  • Advanced heart disease, such as heart failure, etc.
  • Lung disease
  • Cancer
  • Kidney failure
  • Neurological disease, such as Parkinson's disease, etc.
  • Stroke with serious impairment

 We invite you to watch the following video to learn more about palliative care.

Request Palliative Care

MercyOne Dubuque offers inpatient and outpatient palliative care services. If you or a loved one is interested in receiving palliative care, please talk with your doctor, nurse or any member of your care team.

For more information about palliative care at MercyOne, contact our team at DQpalliativecare@mercyhealth.com or 563-589-8052.