What Does Palliative Mean?

Palliative care is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex illness. Within the published literature, many definitions of palliative care exist.

Does palliative care mean death?

Palliative care is medical care for people with serious or terminal illnesses. It is often confused with end of life care. These are two different types of care, but they have some similar qualities. Receiving palliative care does not always mean that you will not get better or that you are dying.

What does being in palliative care mean?

Patients enter palliative care when they are suffering from serious illness or are terminally ill and no longer require treatment. The objective is to help improve the patient's life during their final stages, but it can also be applied at other stages of illness.