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Palliative Care and Quality of Life Interdisciplinary

Advisory Council

The Palliative Care and Quality of Life Interdisciplinary Advisory Council was passed into law in 2015, in order to address access to and quality of patient centered, family focused care in Maine. Comprehensive palliative care services are designed to prevent and treat suffering caused by a medical illness or condition.

Click Here to See Bill S.P. 280 - L.D. 782

This includes the management of pain and other symptoms from a physical, emotional, spiritual and psycho-social perspective in order to enhance quality of life. Research shows that palliative care services are a cost-effective approach to helping individuals deal with advanced chronic or life-threatening illness in the comfort of their own home. However, market research data, compiled by Hospice Analytics, shortly after LD 782 passed into law, revealed that only 10 out of 34 hospitals in Maine reported having a palliative care program. Those that did, reported varying structures, staffing and services. In Title 5, Chapter 379, the Maine Hospice Council was listed as "Convening Authority" for the PC Advisory Council. Ten members are appointed by legislative leadership, three members are appointed by the Maine Hospice Council. Membership reflects an interdisciplinary composition. All appointees have either personal and/or professional experience with palliative care. Meetings are held quarterly or at the discretion of the co-chairs, but no less than twice a year. All meetings are open to the public.

Palliative Care Messaging Resources

Members of the Palliative Care and Quality of Life Interdisciplinary Advisory Council, in partnership with the Maine Hospice Council, authored and helped pass LD 1064, An Act to Advance Palliative Care Utilization in the State. In working to support reimbursement for a palliative care team services model, the need for a statewide awareness of this person-centered model became apparent.

Click Here to See Bill H.P. 793 - L.D. 1064

The Maine Hospice Council was delighted to be awarded a contract from the Department of Health and Human Services to provide education and messaging about palliative care for both providers and consumers throughout the state.

Resources Pertaining to Palliative Care:

Dr. Elizabeth Collins s shares a brief video about what palliative care could mean for you.

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So, what is palliative care?

Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness. This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stresses of an illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.

Palliative care is provided by a specially-trained team of doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care is based on the needs of the patient, not on the patient’s prognosis. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.

If you, a relative or a friend is diagnosed with a serious illness like heart failure, cancer or a respiratory disease, palliative care helps people live a more active, fulfilling and comfortable life. Palliative care focusses on care that makes everyday life better, like relieving pain, helping reduce breathless-ness, supporting people through the anxiety of living with a serious condition, and making practical plans for the future.

Palliative care can help ensure that life remains meaningful and fulfilling despite living with a serious ill-ness. It does this through: practical help, for example, some families may need support with adapting their homes to support a person with a serious health problem; physical care: looking after the needs of the body, through mobility aids and exercises, for instance; medicines: medicines can be used to help with symptoms like pain, vomiting, breathlessness, anxiety, depression and confusion; spiritual support: helping people meet their spiritual needs, such as feeling a sense of belonging, repairing relationships and searching for meaning; emotional support: helping people and their families through the complex emotional challenges of living with a serious illness.

Community Based Palliative Care for ME: Statewide
Educational Conference

Presentations:

Videos:

Keynote: Torrie Fields, MPH, CEO, TFA Analytics - Expanding Access to Palliative Care Through Medicaid: One State at a Time

Keynote: Constance Dahlin, MSN, ANP-BC, ACHPN, FPCH, FAAN, Palliative Care Specialist - National Consensus Guidelines: Framing Quality Palliative Care

Keynote: Marian Grant, DNP, ACHPN, FPCN, CTAC, CAPC, Using Evidence-Based Principles to Strengthen Public / Provider Engagement with Palliative Care

Community Caregiver Panel: Personal Experiences - Margaret Craven; Dr. John Newby; Jane Conrad; Constance Dahlin

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2022 Prevalence of Palliative Care in Maine Study

A Brief Study by Hospice Analytics for the Maine Hospice Council

In 2022, The Maine Hospice Council contracted with Hospice Analytics, Inc. In 2022, The Maine Hospice Council contracted with Hospice Analytics, Inc. To complete a phone survey of all Maine hospitals, hospices, and community providers regarding the provision of palliative care in 2021. This survey was a modified version of a similar study conducted by the Maine Hospice Council and Hospice Analytics in 2016. This is the resulting study results.