Facing a serious illness can be scary, and you may need help coping with your new realities. Baptist Health palliative care can provide you with the emotional and spiritual support to help you on that journey. Your care team’s only focus is you, and making you as comfortable and anxiety-free as possible. Your palliative care emotional and spiritual support team may include:

• Chaplains, to help you observe your religious practices, regardless of affiliation or non-affiliation, and pray with you and your loved ones
• Medical social workers, to help arrange community resources and better-handle the emotional, social and psychological changes that come with battling a serious illness

Chaplains

Baptist Health’s chaplains are available to palliative care patients and their loved ones who need spiritual support. They’re an important part of the palliative care team, and can attend to the spiritual and emotional needs of you and those you care for, regardless of religious affiliation or non-affiliation. Baptist Health chaplains may assist you by:

• Guiding you through the process of preparing an advance directive
• Providing you with the resources you need to observe religious practices, such as Bibles, rosaries and candles
• Praying with you and your loved ones
• Serving as a liaison between you and your community clergy
• Listening to your concerns, without passing judgment

Medical Social Workers

Baptist Health’s highly-trained medical social workers are available to palliative care patients and their loved ones who need additional emotional or social support. They’re an important part of the palliative care team, and may help you adjust to the new personal, social and emotional challenges that come with facing a serious illness. Baptist Health’s medical social workers may assist you by:

• Providing crisis intervention and counseling
• Assistance with long-term care planning, and counseling and assistance with long-term care placement, if needed