Palliative & Supportive Care Program

Overview

Palliative care is a specialized type of medical care that is given to people living with a serious illness, such as cancer. Care is focused on improving the patient’s quality of life, as well as that of their loved ones, by providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness.

The multidisciplinary Palliative and Supportive Care team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi works with each cancer patient’s wider cancer team to support them and their families. Consisting of physicians, advanced nurse practitioners, social workers, occupational and physical therapists, psychologists and more, the team is specially trained in the wide range of challenges that anyone affected by cancer may face.

The Palliative and Supportive Care Program at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is innovative within the field of palliative care. As an embedded service within our Cancer Institute, providing novel models of care, we offer an integrated, inclusive and holistic approach to cancer care.

Our Approach

Our Palliative and Supportive Care Program team’s approach is to address every patient as a whole. This means addressing the many issues that the effects of cancer and its treatment may have on a person, to improve quality of life. Our palliative and supportive care model focuses on the individual needs of the patient and the team are advocates for them, ensuring that whenever possible, treatment is aligned with their wishes and goals, rather than their prognosis.

Our team works collaboratively with the shared goal of treating or preventing, as early as possible, the side effects and symptoms of cancer, such as pain, nausea and tiredness. This also includes related psychological, social, practical and emotional problems, as well as the side effects of treatment or therapies. The team also provide support for family caregivers and facilitate communication between the patient and their healthcare team to ensure their voice is heard.

Working closely with the wider team of oncology specialists, the team forms an additional layer of support for every patient and their family.