Palliative Care

In The Moment … December 2, 2020 Show 952 Hour 2

With hundreds of deaths from COVID-19 in November alone, many South Dakotans find themselves considering how they would like to be cared for in the hospital. The conversations about life, quality of life, and advanced care planning have, quite frankly, changed during the pandemic.

This type of care is important because it gives the patient an option for pain management, and a higher quality of life while they're still pursuing curative measures.

In The Moment ... January 2, 2020 Show 725 Hour 2

Palliative care helps relieve symptoms of serious illnesses, but it's not a one-size-fits-all method of specialized care. It's also not always accessible in areas where it's needed most. 

Palliative care can relieve symptoms of serious illnesses like cancer. But despite high cancer rates on reservations, this specialized care is difficult to access.

A research partnership among South Dakota State University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Avera Health and others is working to develop palliative care options on three of South Dakota’s reservations. The research includes work with community members to ensure culturally-appropriate care.

November is national Palliative Care and Hospice Month. Dr. Terri Peterson Henry, a physician with the Sanford Palliative Care Health Team, and Dr. Joyce Nelson, Professor Emeritus of Nursing at Augustana University, Join Dakota Midday for a conversation about palliative care, advanced directives, and using Thanksgiving as a time to have the difficult conversations with your family about end-of-life wishes. These resources are available: www.gowish.org and www.lifecirclesd.org

Betty Ferrell, PhD., was named one of 30 visionaries in the field by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She is the author of nine books and a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

The SDSU College of Nursing recently brought Ferrell to the state for a conversation about Spirituality and Ethics at the end of life. She sat down with Dakota Midday host Lori Walsh to talk about life, death, and mending fences.