Your Care

This video will provide patients and caregivers an overview of palliative care: what it is, how it interacts with their ongoing care, the holistic interdisciplinary team approach, and how taking advantage of this service can bring comfort, confidence, and strength while living with a serious illness.

This video will give patients and caregivers key information on accessing palliative care: where they can find it, how to gain access to it, how it is paid for, and whether it is covered by insurance.

This video will help empower patients by explaining 'goals of care' and the importance of developing these goals for one's palliative care treatment. It will teach patients and caregivers the role of family meetings and the importance of open and honest communication and taking into account one's values, wishes, and beliefs in palliative care.

This video will explain to patients the benefits of palliative care to the physical symptoms of their illness and side effects of their treatment: including pain, shortness of breath, nausea, fatigue, and insomnia. It will also emphasize that it is important to speak up about one's needs so that patients can get the most out of their palliative care.

This video will explain to patients the connection between dealing with a serious illness and common psychosocial and emotional concerns. The video will explore the impact and management of both conditions like depression, anxiety, delirium, and agitation. It will also stress that the strength that comes from faith can be powerful for some patients living with serious illness.

Dialed In, a podcast series from the VA National Center for Ethics in Health Care, is designed to help Veterans and their families as they face difficult ethical decisions about healthcare. This series was compiled to address common issues around palliative care including life-sustaining treatments, informed consent, advance directives, and choosing a health care agent. © VA National Center for Ethics in Health Care

Palliative care is a way to improve quality of life for a person who's being treated for a serious illness. It is a type of medical specialty. To palliate means to ease the symptoms of an illness.

Watch this video to learn how treatment for chronic pain can include several different options such as medications, therapy and lifestyle changes.

Watch this video to learn about different chronic pain management options to help relieve symptoms so you can function better in your daily activities.

Watch this video to learn about the medications that can provide relief to those who suffer from chronic pain, the importance of taking these medications only as prescribed, and how to store potentially addictive opioid pain medications safely to avoid any accidental overdose.

Chronic pain can make working, sleeping and socializing with family and friends a challenge, but there are things you can do that can provide relief. Watch this video to learn about how lifestyle changes, such as stress reduction, exercise, healthy eating and getting enough sleep can improve your ability to enjoy everyday activities.

This video is a patient story about Cee Cee, who has fibromyalgia.

People who suffer from chronic pain that lasts longer than 3 months, endure more than just the physical symptoms related to their condition. Being in constant pain can cause you to lose sleep and become stressed or depressed, but there are ways to cope. Watch this video to learn how medication, therapy and the support of family and friends can help.