Medically reviewed by Kathryn Kirkland, M.D.
Palliative care
Is a form of specialized care to help people with serious illnesses and their families live as well as they can
Focuses on managing or reducing pain and other symptoms and offers other interventions aimed to improve quality of life
Can be used alongside medical treatments meant to cure the illness, and can help patients understand their treatment options and make choices about treatment that are aligned with their goals and values
Can be helpful at any stage of serious illness
Does not have a set length of care and depends on what you need and what insurance will cover (if you have insurance)
Who makes up a palliative care team?
Palliative care doctors
Palliative care nurses
Social workers
Spiritual advisors or chaplains
Team members work together to provide whole-person care, in collaboration with the patient’s other healthcare providers.
Palliative care can be given in a:
Hospital
Specialized outpatient clinic
Nursing home
Patient’s home
Hospice care
Is a subset of palliative care that is for people with serious illness who doctors believe have 6 months or less to live
Is designed for people whose illness isn’t responding to treatment or who wish to stop treatment
Focuses on quality of life and not prolonging life
Lasts as long as life expectancy
Hospice care can be given in a:
Patient’s home
Hospice center
Nursing home
Hospital (uncommonly)
Who makes up a hospice care team?
Hospice nurses
Hospice doctors
Spiritual advisors or chaplains
Social workers
Volunteers trained to support patients and their families
Did you know? Hospice doesn’t mean stopping all treatments — just the ones (like chemotherapy for cancer) meant to cure an illness.
Both:
For people with serious illness
Help manage symptoms and make decisions that align with their goals
Offer physical and emotional support to patients and families
May be covered by Medicare or other insurance
Palliative only:
Patients can receive care at any time after illness is diagnosed
Patients can continue to receive treatments intended to cure their illness
Hospice only:
Patients can receive care if a doctor believes they have 6 months or less to live
Patients can no longer get treatments intended to cure illness
To find hospice and palliative care near you, visit the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.