Pal­lia­tive care and hos­pice care ser­vices in the wellbeing services county of Päijät-Häme

The Palliative Outpatient Clinic is located at Päijät‑Häme Central Hospital in Lahti. Patients come to the palliative outpatient clinic by physician referral or consultation. The purpose of the clinic is to provide symptom management through medication and procedures, as well as psychosocial support. The goal of the palliative outpatient clinic is to establish supportive contact with the patient already alongside the treatment of an incurable underlying disease. Based on the physician’s assessment, the patient is either invited to a physician’s appointment at the clinic or their care is transferred directly to the palliative Hospital at Home unit. The palliative outpatient clinic also provides a consultation team for the inpatient wards and the acute care area of Päijät‑Häme Central Hospital.

Within Internal Medicine Ward 2 at Päijät‑Häme Central Hospital, there are two palliative inpatient beds reserved for patients referred by the palliative outpatient clinic for short‑term inpatient care. Areas of care include, among others, medication management, psychosocial support, and procedures aimed at relieving symptoms.

The Palliative Hospital at Home unit is located at Salpausselkä Rehabilitation Hospital Jalmari in Lahti. The unit provides care and support at home for patients requiring special level palliative care and for patients receiving end‑of‑life care, as well as support for their families. In addition to referrals from the palliative outpatient clinic, patients are admitted from home care, assisted living facilities, and inpatient wards in both specialized and primary health care once their treatment has been defined as palliative and the underlying disease requires specialist-level care.

The service area of the Palliative Hospital-at-Home unit covers the entire Päijät-Häme region, excluding Sysmä. The unit operates from 7:00 to 22:00. During nighttime hours, phone calls are directed to the Palliative and End-of-Life Care Ward J12, and urgent nursing visits are carried out by the Acute Hospital-at-Home service.

The Palliative and End-of-Life Care Ward J12 is also located at Salpausselkä Rehabilitation Hospital Jalmari in Lahti. Ward J12 serves as a support ward for patients of the palliative Hospital-at-Home unit. In addition, patients are admitted from specialized health care wards and other primary health care inpatient units. Ward J12 provides care for palliative patients with incurable illnesses, focusing on supporting their remaining strengths and helping their loved ones through anticipatory grief and bereavement. The ward has 20 beds, and the average length of stay is 10.5 days.

Additional support beds for palliative patients (A-level patients) are also available at the Orimattila inpatient ward and the Heinola inpatient ward.

The consultation team of the Palliative Care Center supports inpatient wards in managing the symptoms of palliative patients, planning further care, and preparing advance care plans.