Resources for Healthcare Professionals
Hospice and palliative care resources to help you provide the best patient care.
Palliative Care: You Are a Bridge
Palliative Care is different from hospice. While hospice is for those with a life expectancy of six months or less, Palliative Care can be provided at any stage of a serious illness, alongside curative treatments, and in any setting—whether at home, in a hospital, or in a nursing home—or any place the patient calls home.
Unlike pain clinics, which focus solely on pain, Palliative Care addresses a range of symptoms such as nausea and shortness of breath, while also focusing on emotional or coping needs; palliative care aims to treat the whole patient while understanding their symptoms in the context of who they are. It emphasizes understanding the patient and working collaboratively with their other health care providers to guide their care.
Palliative Care involves a specialized team, including doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, and chaplains. Harbor Palliative Care offers this as a consult service alongside primary care and specialists.
The video animation, “Palliative Care: YOU Are a BRIDGE,” uploaded by Get Palliative Care, compares Palliative Care to the foundation of a bridge. Though illness may weaken that foundation, the palliative care team reinforces it with an added layer of support.
Why Harbor Hospice?
Longevity
The Longest Operating Hospice on the West Michigan Lakeshore
With decades of dedicated service, Harbor Hospice has been a trusted partner in compassionate end-of-life care across the Lakeshore and surrounding counties. Our longstanding presence reflects our commitment to the communities we serve.
Quality
Sustained Excellence in Care
We consistently achieve honors and elite status in hospice care, recognized by HEALTHCAREfirst. This dedication to quality ensures that every patient and family receives the highest standard of compassionate care.
Unique Services
Physician-Led Care
Our services are guided by board-certified physicians and supported by certified clinicians, ensuring expert medical oversight throughout each patient’s journey.
Inpatient Unit (IPU)
Our freestanding hospice inpatient unit provides complex end-of-life care, including advanced symptom management for patients with intensive needs.
Palliative Care Embedded in Cancer Clinics
Our interdisciplinary team works alongside oncologists to provide integrated care within cancer centers. We also offer community-based palliative care through house calls and facility visits.
Veteran Support
We are proud to be a Level 5 “We Honor Veterans” provider, offering specialized outreach and care to those who have served our country.
Comprehensive Regional Coverage
We serve a five-county area in West Michigan, offering comprehensive hospice and palliative care services wherever needed—home, facility, or specialized settings.
Advanced Symptom Management
- Compassionate ventilator withdrawal
- Continuous Ambulatory Delivery Devices (CADD) for pain, intractable symptoms like nausea, bowel obstruction, and respiratory distress
- Expert wound care for complex cases
Complementary Therapies
Advantages of Hospice
- Goals of Care Discussions
Compassionate conversations to align care with patient and family wishes. - Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Discussions
Thoughtful guidance on DNR preferences to ensure patients’ wishes are honored. - Symptom Management
Relief from pain and distressing symptoms to improve comfort. - Caregiver Support
Resources and support to ease the burden on caregivers. - Enhanced Quality of Life
Focused care to maximize comfort and dignity at the end of life. - Volunteer Services
Trained volunteers offer companionship and practical assistance to patients and families.
Advantages of Palliative Care
- Goals of Care Discussions
Support for patients in exploring and defining their care priorities. - Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Discussions
Helping patients and families navigate critical decisions. - Collaborative Care
Coordinating with primary and specialty providers for holistic symptom management. - Enhanced Quality of Life
Improving comfort and well-being during serious illness.
Make a Referral
Healthcare professionals make a referral to Harbor Hospice 24/7 by calling 231-728-3442.
Serious Illness & End-of-Life Education Topics
Palliative Care and Hospice Care: The differences and similarities
Harbor Palliative Care: Your path to extra help
VITALtalk App - A resource for effective communication in healthcare.
I Couldn’t Do Your Job - A Harbor Hospice podcast sharing powerful stories
Palliative Matters - Trillium Institute’s insights on palliative care
