Offering Compassionate, Personalized Care
Palliative care helps people with life-threatening illnesses live as well as they can for as long as they can.
The Albany Med Health System's palliative care teams offer compassionate and personalized care to patients at any stage of illness. Our teams coordinate across specialties to help our patients manage pain and the stress of a serious illness.
We offer complete medical, psychosocial, and spiritual palliative care aimed at lessening pain. We also provide emotional support to the entire family.
This can include:
- Managing symptoms like pain and anxiety that interfere with daily life
- Providing information about what to expect in the future so that you can decide what treatments are right for you
- Helping you manage the stress of serious illness
- Exploring your situation and recommending support services in your home, to enhance quality of life at home and potentially prevent the need to return to the hospital
- Assisting you to complete advance directives. such as a health care proxy and living will
All providers can be found in the Get Care section of this page.
Albany Medical Center, Glens Falls Hospital, and Saratoga Hospital offer inpatient palliative care.
Outpatient palliative care is available at Saratoga Hospital.
Pediatric palliative care, both inpatient and outpatient, is offered through our Journeys Program, part of the Bernard & Millie Duker Children's Hospital.
Our team at Columbia Memorial Health works closely with The Community Hospice to provide patients with comfort and dignity in the final stages of life.
In most cases, patients cared for by Community Hospice leave the hospital to return to their own homes, where they can have the best possible quality of life, surrounded by the people and things they love. Hospice staff and volunteers visit patients at home, providing outstanding medical care to the patients, as well as advice, guidance and support to family members. Hospice care is also available to CMH patients whose health situation requires them to remain at Columbia Memorial. Wherever a patient is, whenever a family needs help, a hospice team member is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
The cost of hospice is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans. If you think someone you love could benefit from the services of Community Hospice, talk to your doctor, a Columbia Memorial staff member or call Community Hospice directly at 518-724-0242.
