Palliative care with Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice is all about support

By KATLYN PROCTOR
Eagle Times Associate Editor
NEW LONDON, N.H. — Lake Sunapee VNA & Hospice thinks it’s OK to talk a lot — especially if it’s a conversation about palliative care.

“Palliative care visits are an important aspect of advanced illness, as these conversations allow me to identify the patient’s wishes, help us guide decision-making and help to create a patient-centered care plan,” said Rebecca Lacasse, DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-BC, ACHPN, palliative and hospice nurse practitioner at Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice in New London, New Hampshire. “Oftentimes, palliative care conversations are the first time that family is hearing their loved one’s wishes.”

As patients enter an advanced illness phase, it’s recommended to turn to palliative care.

“Palliative care is specialized care for people living with advanced illness, which includes a holistic approach of medical, social, emotional and spiritual care,” Lacasse said “It is an extra layer of support to help navigate the individual’s health care goals and plan.”

Specializing in palliative care, Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice’s (LSVNA) program focuses on that extra layer with their professionals who emphasize personal goals and symptom management.

“Some of the illnesses that we work with most are heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancers, and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, stroke and Parkinson’s disease,” Lacasse said.

There are more reasons, though, than just advanced illness to seek palliative care. Other reasons include overall declining health (frequent trips to the ER, multiple falls), increasing symptoms from an advanced illness, making complex medical decisions like when to start a feeding tube and becoming diagnosed with anything that impacts your quality of life.

LSVNA stands out because their palliative care providers are a standalone service, one trained to facilitate conversations about health care choices and goals while also managing symptoms.

“I am able to assess palliative patients in the home setting and see things from their living perspective, then work closely with the care team of medical providers to achieve optimal symptom control based on their situation and goals of care,” said Lacasse, who lives with her family on a small farm with dogs, cats, chickens and honeybees.

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