What is Palliative Care?
Palliative care (pronounced pal-lee-uh-tiv) is specialized medical care for people with serious illness. This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.
Palliative care is provided by a specially-trained team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.
Benefits of palliative care
- Increased quality of life
- Relief from different symptoms
- Decreased emergency visits
- Decreased financial burden
- Help to family members who look after patients by providing necessary help they need.
- Decreased stress to patients and family members