Palliative Care is specialized and comprehensive medical care for people with serious illness. This type of care is focused on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness – whatever the diagnosis. Palliative care is provided by a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, chaplains, social workers and other specialists. This team works with the patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support in discussing: goals of care, treatment options, pain and symptom management, and advance care planning that is aligned with the patient’s wishes.
In short, the team addresses physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs for both the patient and their family. Palliative care can be provided at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and can be provided together with curative treatment. The goal is to improve quality of life during a serious disease process for both the patient and the family.
Palliative Care is not Hospice Care. Palliative Care is pain and symptom management that can be provided at any time during an illness, even while curative treatments are pursued. Hospice Care is palliative care provided to terminally-ill patients no longer seeking curative treatment.