Cheryl Waller, Registered Pharmacist, Doctor of Pharmacy

 "One of our patients had been in and out of pain clinics with little success. He came into the Hospice of Northwest Ohio program on a Thursday, and we immediately conferred with his doctor to change his drug therapy.

"The following Monday, our home care nurse walked right past him in his front yard. The man she knew only as being bed-ridden with pain was out planting flowers. That’s the quality of life we seek for all of our patients!"

Controlling Pain…Without Numbing the Joy of Living
Hospice of Northwest Ohio’s number one goal is to control pain and other symptoms so that patients can stay alert and enjoy life to the fullest extent possible. Physicians, nurses and a clinical pharmacist combine their efforts to aggressively treat the discomfort each patient experiences, including:
  • Pain;
  • Nausea and vomiting;
  • Shortness of breath;
  • Anxiety;
  • Constipation or diarrhea; and
  • Many other symptoms.
Because our primary focus is palliative (comfort) care, our knowledge and expertise is unmatched in this area. Our goal is to get pain or other symptoms under control within 24 to 48 hours after a patient enters our program, whether they’re at home or in one of our Hospice Centers.
Understanding Pain
Pain is very individual, and varies with the type and extent of disease. Patients may be suffering from:
  • Cancer pain;
  • Bone pain;
  • Neuropathic pain; or
  • Emotional pain.
Each one is treated by different types of medications or therapies. It is important, first and foremost, that an accurate assessment be made so that the most effective drugs or therapies are prescribed. Many times, patients entering our program have been taking numerous medications, but with little or no result, because they have been receiving the wrong combination of drugs for their situation.

No single drug is good for all types of pain. While Hospice of Northwest Ohio physicians often prescribe narcotics or develop special drug combinations, it is not unusual for them to get great results with something as common as Motrin®. The real key is accurate assessment, plus constant monitoring of results.

Responding Rapidly
Hospice of Northwest Ohio’s physicians and nurses are extremely aggressive in their efforts to make patients comfortable and, if a prescription isn’t working, will change their approach immediately to seek faster, better relief. Our on-staff clinical pharmacist – who often works directly with patients to help manage their pain – is available to consult with physicians and staff around the clock, seven days a week.