Palliative Care

Understanding Palliative Care

Unlike hospice, palliative care can be provided while someone is still receiving active treatment. It is specialized care for people living with serious illness who are not ready for hospice but could benefit from help relieving symptoms, easing stress, and understanding what comes next.

Charis Palliative Care serves individuals wherever they live in the greater Philadelphia area, including private homes, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing settings.

Our role is to help patients and families navigate day-to-day challenges and move forward with greater peace of mind.

When to Consider Palliative Care

Many patients and families could benefit from palliative care earlier than they realize. It may be worth exploring if you or a loved one are living with a serious illness, still receiving treatment, and facing growing symptoms, difficult decisions, or increasing stress.

Charis Palliative Care offers guidance when serious illness begins to bring more questions, more discomfort, or more complexity to daily life.

Our team can talk with you about your situation and whether our Palliative Care Program is right for you.

How Charis Palliative Care Supports Patients and Families

At Charis, we understand that serious illness often brings more than physical symptoms. It can also bring uncertainty, added decisions, and the need for direction. Our Palliative Care Program is built to help patients and families navigate that experience with greater comfort, coordination, and reassurance along the way.

Services may include:

  • Guidance and clinical support for pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, and other symptoms that affect comfort and daily life.

  • Help discussing goals of care, planning ahead, and better understanding future needs and preferences.

  • Support coordinating care, understanding the healthcare system, and helping patients and families make sense of their next steps.

  • Connections to supportive community services that may help patients and families meet practical needs along the way.

  • Support for the emotional challenges that often come with serious illness, including guidance for family caregivers.

Palliative Care Vs. Hospice

Palliative care and hospice share an important goal: helping patients live with greater comfort, dignity, and support. The difference is where someone is in their care journey. Palliative care can begin earlier, while treatment is still ongoing. Hospice is designed for patients who are nearing the end of life and ready for care focused fully on comfort rather than curative treatment.

If you are not sure which type of care may be the better fit, Charis can help you identify the options available to you and decide what may be most appropriate now.

Talk With Charis About Your Options

When serious illness brings new questions, added symptoms, or the need for clearer guidance, Charis Palliative Care is here to help. Our team can talk with you about your current situation and determine whether our Palliative Care Program may be the right fit.

For Providers, Care Partners, and Referring Professionals

Charis also works with referring professionals who are caring for patients not yet ready for hospice but in need of symptom management, advance care planning, and connection to community resources.

If you would like to discuss whether Charis Palliative Care may be appropriate for a patient, call our team.

Frequently Asked Questions About Palliative Care

  • Palliative care is specialized care for people living with serious illness. It focuses on comfort, symptom relief, and helping patients and families better understand the path ahead.

  • Palliative care can be provided while treatment continues. Hospice is typically for people with a terminal illness who are ready to shift to comfort-focused care. Learn more about how hospice care differs.

  • Yes. Charis Palliative Care is designed for people living with serious illness who need added guidance and help managing symptoms while treatment continues.

  • Palliative care may be worth considering when a serious illness begins to bring more symptoms, stress, or day-to-day challenges for a patient or family. It can also be helpful when someone needs added guidance while continuing active treatment.

  • Palliative care may be helpful for people living with a serious, chronic, or life-limiting illness who need help with symptoms, care planning, or navigating the healthcare system.

  • Charis Palliative Care is available to patients wherever they call home, including private homes, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing facilities, and other residential settings across southeastern Pennsylvania. Find out if we serve your area.