Palliative Care in Grand Rapids, MI – A Personal Story

Palliative care in Grand Rapids, Michigan focuses on comfort, dignity, and honoring each person’s wishes—whether that’s at home, in a nursing facility, or in the hospital. The following story, adapted for our West Michigan community, shows how palliative care can support older adults and their families through serious illness.

Living Independently in Grand Rapids

Eighty-six-year-old Mr. Adami had lived independently on the northeast side of Grand Rapids after his wife died. Like many older adults in Kent County, he valued staying in his own home and neighborhood for as long as possible.

When he was diagnosed with bile duct cancer, everyday tasks became harder. Despite support from neighbors and his primary care provider, he eventually needed more help. He moved into a local Grand Rapids nursing home, where he began to enjoy the regular care, social activities, and company of other residents.

Over time, however, his illness progressed and he became much sicker.

A Sudden Change in His Health

Mr. Adami developed jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes) and severe abdominal pain. His Grand Rapids primary care doctor arranged for him to be admitted to a local hospital—one of the major health systems serving the area, such as Spectrum Health or Trinity Health Grand Rapids—for urgent evaluation.

At the hospital:

• His surgeon found a blockage in his bile duct.
• A small tube (stent) was placed to open the duct and allow bile to flow into his bowel again.
• As the bile drained properly, the yellowing of his skin and eyes began to fade.

Because his pain was still significant and his illness was advanced, the surgeon asked the hospital’s palliative care team to meet with him.

Meeting the Palliative Care Team in the Hospital

The hospital-based palliative care team in Grand Rapids included a doctor, nurse, and social worker. Their goal was to improve his comfort and help him plan for the future.

Mr. Adami did not speak fluent English, so an Italian interpreter—arranged through the hospital’s language services—helped everyone communicate clearly. This is a common part of palliative care in Grand Rapids, where providers regularly work with families from many cultural and language backgrounds.

The palliative care team:

• Talked with him about using regular morphine tablets to manage his pain
• Recommended laxatives to prevent constipation from the pain medicine
• Asked him about his goals and what mattered most to him in the time he had left

Mr. Adami explained that he understood he was dying. More than anything, he wanted to return to his nursing home in Grand Rapids, where he felt safe, known, and cared for by staff he trusted.

He Wanted to Die in a Place He Felt Safe

The palliative care team contacted the nursing home and spoke with the staff and leadership. The nursing home team said they would be honored to care for him at the end of his life, as long as they had guidance and support from community palliative care services in West Michigan.

To make this possible, the hospital palliative care team:

• Referred Mr. Adami and the nursing home to a community-based palliative care program serving Grand Rapids and Kent County
• Shared his medical history, current medications, and his personal wishes with the community team
• Helped coordinate a safe discharge back to the nursing home

They arranged for a community palliative care nurse to visit the nursing home the day after Mr. Adami left the hospital. The visit included:

• Mr. Adami
• Nursing home staff
• An Italian interpreter

Together, they created a plan to keep him as comfortable as possible.

Community Palliative Care Support in Grand Rapids

The community palliative care nurse worked closely with the nursing home staff to:

• Review his pain management plan
• Make sure medications were available and easy to give
• Discuss what to expect as his illness progressed
• Talk about his wishes for end-of-life care and comfort

To provide ongoing support, the community nurse:

• Called the nursing home weekly to check on his comfort and symptoms
• Offered advice and reassurance to staff and his care team
• Encouraged the staff to call anytime his condition changed

As often happens with serious illness, Mr. Adami’s health declined. He became too weak to swallow his morphine tablets.

Adjusting His Care as His Condition Changed

The nursing home contacted the community palliative care nurse, who consulted with his Grand Rapids primary care physician. Together, they decided to switch his pain medicine from tablets to a continuous infusion using a syringe driver.

A syringe driver is a small, battery-operated pump that gives a steady dose of pain medication under the skin. This is commonly used in end-of-life care when swallowing becomes difficult.

The palliative care nurse:

• Came to the nursing home to start the syringe driver
• Carefully adjusted the morphine dose for his comfort
• Trained nursing home staff to:
  • Monitor the pump
  • Give small extra doses of morphine if he appeared to be in pain
  • Watch for side effects and call if they had concerns

With this coaching, the nursing home staff felt confident and supported. On two occasions, they gave extra pain relief when he appeared uncomfortable. Each time, they were relieved to see his pain ease and his breathing relax.

A Peaceful Death, Supported by His Care Team

Three days later, surrounded by familiar staff and in a place where he felt secure, Mr. Adami died peacefully at his Grand Rapids nursing home.

His story shows how:

• Hospital-based palliative care teams in Grand Rapids can work with
• Community palliative care programs and
• Local nursing homes and primary care providers

to honor a person’s wishes and provide comfort-focused, compassionate care at the end of life.

Palliative Care Resources in Grand Rapids, MI

If you or a loved one is living with a serious illness in West Michigan, palliative care can be provided alongside other treatments. It is not just for the final days of life—it is about improving quality of life at any stage of a serious condition.

Local Palliative and Hospice Care Options

In the Grand Rapids and Kent County area, palliative and hospice services may be available through:

• Corewell Health (formerly Spectrum Health) Palliative Care
  Hospital-based and outpatient palliative care services

• Trinity Health Grand Rapids Palliative Care
  Inpatient palliative consultations and coordination of community services

• Metro Health – University of Michigan Health
  Supportive and palliative care for patients with complex medical needs

• Local hospice and home care agencies
  Providing in-home hospice and palliative services across the Grand Rapids metro area

Many nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Grand Rapids also partner with community palliative and hospice teams to support residents, much like in Mr. Adami’s story.

Public Health and Community Support

For information and guidance on serious illness, caregiving, and end-of-life planning in Kent County, you can also contact:

• Kent County Health Department – Offers public health resources, chronic disease information, and links to community services.
• Grand Rapids Public Health and local community organizations – May provide caregiver support, advance care planning workshops, and culturally sensitive resources for diverse communities.

Why Palliative Care Matters in West Michigan

In Grand Rapids, where winters are cold and long and chronic conditions like heart disease, lung disease, and cancer are common, palliative care can:

• Help manage pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, and other symptoms
• Support families and caregivers during stressful times
• Coordinate care between hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes
• Honor cultural, spiritual, and personal preferences

Stories like Mr. Adami’s highlight that palliative care is about more than medicine—it is about respect, comfort, and helping people in Grand Rapids live as fully and peacefully as possible, right up to the end of life.