Palliative Care Services at Unity Hospital

Palliative care is designed to help patients and their families deal with the numerous challenges brought on by serious illness. Unity Hospital’s Palliative Care Services are focused on caring for the whole patient: we help to ease the pain and stress of the patient’s body, mind, and spirit.

When is palliative care appropriate?

Unlike hospice, palliative care can be delivered at any stage of an illness and alongside conventional treatments that are meant to cure the patient. Palliative care is appropriate for patients of any age and at any point during an illness— whatever the diagnosis or prognosis may be. Many of our patients are affected by advanced diseases, from cancer and heart disease to lung and kidney disease to neurological illnesses.

The benefits of palliative care

Our palliative care providers can:
• Help control the patient’s pain and other symptoms, such as breathlessness, nausea, fatigue, anxiety, and depression
• Assist with tough medical decisions by clarifying choices, providing emotional support, and coordinating the recommendations of specialists
• Assist in arranging for services after the patient’s discharge to maximize their independence, dignity, and quality of life
• Identify whether hospice care is an appropriate option

Our Palliative Care team

Our Palliative Care team works with the patient’s primary doctors at Unity Hospital and affiliated nursing homes. Our specially trained team includes doctors, mid-level providers, social workers, nurses, chaplains, ethicists, pain specialists, and counselors.

Leading the team is Mindy Stevens Shah, M.D., who is certified by the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the American Board of Internal Medicine. She is also a member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the American Geriatrics Society.