Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care 2012 Annual Report

Palliative Care at Rainbow Hospice is a growing service that provides consultations on pain and
symptom management to physicians and patients. Rainbow Palliative Care offers the expertise of
our hospice doctors and nurse practitioners to patients who are not yet ready or eligible for hospice.
Comfort
Palliative Care is a phrase new to
many people. It means “to lessen the
severity” and in practice it brings the
hospice philosophy of comfort care to
patients suffering from any kind
of illness.
Who: Carol Blendowski,
Dr. Michael Preodor,
Jeanne Frazel
Where: Throughout
Chicago
Rainbow Hospice provides doctors
and nurse practitioners in hospitals
and in the community throughout
Chicagoland to offer expert
palliative care consultations.
In FY ‘12, Rainbow Hospice’s
Palliative Consultation Service
increased by 60% to a total of
nearly 1,750 patients.
Palliative care can be provided at
the same time as other treatments
for chronic illness and helps to
manage pain, relieve symptoms
and establish goals of care.
Patients are seen in many settings
including hospitals, nursing
homes, long term care facilities
and in their own homes.
We continue to expand our
Palliative Care services with an
additional Nurse Practitioner
hired in FY ‘12 and a second
hospital-based Palliative Care
program planned for FY ‘13.
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