Palliative Care is specialized care that focuses on providing relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness. Often, palliative care is confused with hospice care, while there are some similarities, there are also some important differences.
Palliative care is specialized care for people LIVING with a serious illness. It is appropriate at any age, any stage of serious illness no matter the prognosis and can be provided alongside curative treatments. Palliative care is an extra layer of support that focuses on symptom management, disease education, help coping with the impact of serious illness, navigating treatment options, and advance care planning. Treatment often takes place during a hospital stay, at a specialty care clinic, and in some states, home based palliative care is an option.
Hospice care, however, is care for people with a terminal diagnosis. The person is no longer receiving curative treatment either because it is no longer working, or they have chosen to forgo curative treatment. Two doctors must certify that the patient is likely to die within six months if the disease follows its natural course.
While palliative care and hospice care have their unique differences, they share some care techniques: both are focused on the needs of the patient and family. They both provide symptom management and focus on improving quality of life. Finally, both hospice care and palliative care is provided by a specially trained, interdisciplinary team of health professionals caring for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the patient and family.
SDAHO Resources on Palliative Care
To learn more about palliative care, visit our Palliative Care page.
