Living with cancer can impact a patient’s quality of life, making it difficult to accomplish the most routine daily activities. Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s palliative care program is designed to meet patients where they are in their care journey, with the goal of helping them navigate through challenging everyday situations and decisions.
Studies show that patients who enroll early in supportive and palliative care while undergoing traditional cancer treatment have improved quality of life and often shorter hospital stays, resulting in better health outcomes.
Dr. Logan St. Cyr has built an innovative palliative care program at Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Houma, LA. The program focuses on treating the whole patient, every step of the way.
“Part of the patient’s first palliative care visit is getting to know the patient and their situation. We want to know the patient, what they are about and what they are experiencing. We want to do what is most helpful for them,” says Dr. St. Cyr.
Palliative care is offered in conjunction with the patient’s entire team of doctors and specialists. The goal is to work with the patient early in the process to develop a care plan that results in the best quality of life as the patient navigates treatment.
Palliative care services include pain and symptom management, spiritual support, social issue assistance, advance care planning, caregiver support, complex decision-making guidance, care coordination, planning assistance and more. These services are available throughout cancer treatment as outpatient services, and during inpatient stays, if needed.
The Cancer Center’s palliative care team includes Dr. St. Cyr, who primarily treats patients who are admitted for an inpatient stay. She works closely with two nurses specializing in palliative care and a chaplain.
“It’s important that patients understand what is going on and that if healthcare decisions are needed, that they are informed and equipped, supported and confident when making those important decisions,” said Dr. St. Cyr. “We want them to make the best decisions for themselves.”
With supportive and palliative care, patients often spend less time in the emergency room or inpatient hospital setting. The goal is to help them better control their symptoms. “When the patient knows more about their disease, then they can make better decisions. This could help them avoid flares or things that put them in the hospital,” says Dr. St. Cyr.
Stephanie Durocher, NP, oversees the outpatient clinic. Her team includes a patient navigator and palliative care nurse. She works closely with the physicians, nurses and other specialists. Often the outpatient services provided are more extensive than what is needed during an inpatient stay.
One successful area of the palliative care program is caregiver support. Often, loved ones and caregivers carry a lot of the burden, which comes from uncertainty. They may not know what lies ahead or feel equipped to help the patient when symptoms arise.
“Walking hand in hand with our patients and their families is one of our greatest privileges in palliative care. We get to know these families well, through the various stages of illness. If new symptoms arise or if anything starts to change, we are there as a resource and support. Our goal is to ease the stress and burden of severe disease—for both the patient and their loved ones.” says Stephanie Durocher, NP.
Palliative care also provides advanced care planning. Early in the process, palliative care addresses the hypothetical future: if they end up really sick, what do they want their care to look like. Patients never expect a sudden hospitalization. It can be scary for the patient and their loved ones. It is never ideal for the patient to have to think about hard things for the first time while inpatient. Often, patients are stressed and emotional during these situations. It could be that, in these situations, the patient cannot speak for themselves. Their loved ones may not know how to decide for the patient. Advanced care planning prepares for these situations.
Dr. St. Cyr explains, “When making difficult medical decisions, we work with the patient on what they are hoping to achieve. While we are the experts on what typically happens with a procedure, the patient is the expert on themselves and what they want out of life. Based on what the patient says, the palliative care specialist can make a recommendation for which treatment most likely fits the patient’s needs and preferences.”
Dr. Logan St. Cyr is a Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care Specialist who is board-certified in Internal Medicine and in Palliative Care. While in medical school, Dr. St. Cyr was awarded the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award for her compassionate and empathic treatment of patients.
Stephanie Durocher is a Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care Nurse Practitioner with a Master’s in Advanced Emergency Nursing and is a certified Adult-Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner.
For more information about support services and Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, please visit tgmbpcc.com.
