Compassionate care through serious illness

Kaytie Brownstein, MSN, was a young nurse when caring for a patient with advanced breast cancer gave her a clearer idea of the needs of patients and their families through serious illness.

The patient had lived with cancer for years, choosing quality of life over aggressive treatment. But near the end, Brownstein saw how much pain and distress filled her final days in the hospital.

“The act of relieving pain and anxiety and just helping people live their life with their symptoms well controlled became how I wanted to focus my career.”

“I remember thinking, ‘This is not the way she lived her life, this is not how she wants to die,’” she says. That experience helped shape my values and the way I want to be able to provide care to patients.” 

Brownstein went back to school for advanced training as a palliative care nurse practitioner. 

“The act of relieving pain and anxiety and just helping people live their life with their symptoms well controlled became how I wanted to focus my career,” she says.

That drew her to Samaritan, which has helped South Jersey families through serious illness and aging with clinical expertise and compassionate care for more than 45 years.

Brownstein arrived 2 years ago as a palliative care nurse practitioner with a decade of experience. Now Director of Advanced Illness Management, she continues seeing patients while helping expand care for people with complex illnesses.

“I still see patients, which is really rewarding,” Brownstein says. “But now I also get to help build programs that focus on different illness processes.”

Through Samaritan Care Pathways, caregivers support patients with complex illnesses such as cancer, heart failure, lung disease, dementia and kidney disease. Care Pathways provides specialized support and services across the continuum of Palliative Medicine and Hospice Care, starting as early as the time of diagnosis.

Heart failure is an example of how specialized that care can become, Brownstein says. Samaritan partners with regional cardiac programs to support patients with severe heart failure and complex cardiac needs. Last October, Samaritan became the first New Jersey based hospice to earn hospice and palliative certification from the American Heart Association. 

At Samaritan, there’s a collaboration between physicians, nurses, home health aides, social workers and chaplains, so patients and families are not weighing medical decisions without strong support. Those conversations often begin with what families value most, Brownstein says.

For one patient, the plan may be returning to the hospital when symptoms worsen. For another, it may focus on avoiding repeated hospitalizations and spending more time at home, she adds.

Beyond medical decisions, families also need help with the day-to-day of caregiving. Samaritan’s Patient and Caregiver Guides are designed for those moments, with illness-specific guidance for Advanced Cardiac Care, Dementia Care, Advanced Lung Care and Advanced Cancer Care, the newest guide.

 “This is not a pamphlet,” Brownstein says. “It helps families understand what changes to expect, what they may look like and what to do next, so when there is a crisis, you’re not panicking. You will know what to expect.”

That kind of preparation and support, she says, can help patients and families feel less alone when illness changes. 

“Being able to practice in my community with my neighbors and impact people right here at home,” Brownstein says, “is meaningful to me.”

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