Confused? The terms “palliative care” and “hospice care” are often used interchangeably when, in fact, they are not the same thing. Each has a different focus but they both share the same goal: bring comfort and relief to the patient and family.
Palliative care: comfort care for illness
This type of care uses an interdisciplinary team approach in order to improve the quality of life for the patient and family. The approach is holistic, caring for the physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, legal and advance care planning needs of the patient. This team is specially trained in palliative care and consist of doctors, nurses, social workers and other specialists. They will work with the patient’s primary doctors to provide this “extra layer of support” as the patient faces serious or life-threatening diseases. Everyone will work to manage the symptoms of the illness to keep the patient comfortable. (more…)