New Palliative Care Clinic Helps Patients Adjust To Life With A Serious Illness

Her pain was the result of multiple myeloma, a cancer that attacks the blood cells and is considered incurable. Following a bone marrow transplant, Clements was referred to a new Intermountain Healthcare outpatient palliative care clinic for pain management and emotional support to help her adjust to life with a terminal illness.

The palliative care clinic helps bridge the gap between inpatient services and home care for patients with serious illnesses. Dr. Gary Garner, director of Utah Valley Palliative Care, said there’s a huge gap between those who meet the criteria for inpatient palliative care and home care and those who do not.

This gap in care means many patients are unable to get the extra layer of support they need and desire. Already, the palliative care team is seeing the positive impact of the clinic in reducing the number of visits to the emergency room and hospital admissions for some patients.

“Instead of being admitted to the hospital for infusions, they can go to the outpatient clinic,” Dr. Garner said. “Preventing hospitalizations means cost savings for the patients and an improved quality of life.”

According to Dr. Garner, the focus of the outpatient clinic is helping patients understand the big picture, giving them a say in their treatment and preventing hospitalizations. Another emphasis of palliative care is managing pain and other symptoms such as nausea, anxiety, sleep problems and more. It also focuses on improving planning and communication among the care team members and addressing the emotional and spiritual needs of patients.

For Clements, it was wonderful to go to a team who could deal with her health beyond the chemo and transplant. It was the first time she didn’t feel like she was in it all by herself. Pain medications caused her to sleep a lot, which caused her to get depressed. A change in medications left her more alert and able to play with her grandkids and enjoy some of her favorite activities such as hiking and snowshoeing.

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“We help people get the healthcare they really want – not just what they’re prescribed,” Dr. Garner said. “We involve patients more in their treatment decisions.”

The response to the new clinic has been overwhelmingly positive from patients who have reported their concerns are being addressed, they are getting needed education, and they are enjoying an improved quality of life.

Clements feels blessed for the care she’s received that is helping her live life to the fullest for as long as she can. She married in December 2014 and went on a honeymoon last month, just a few weeks shy of her first anniversary. “I look at what I can do now, not what I can’t do,” she said.

The Utah Valley Palliative Care team includes Dr. Garner, advanced practice nurse Kelleen Brown, case management nurse Stephanie Wong, and Chaplain Rhonda Weaver. A social worker will join the team by the end of the year.