Compassionate Support: Exploring the Essence of Palliative Care

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative medicine is a specialized medical treatment focuses on relief of pain and other symptoms of serious illness. It helps you cope with the side effects of the medical treatment. Goals of the palliative care is to: Maximize the quality of life, provide relief from pain and other medical symptoms, provide psychosocial and spiritual care, provide support to the family during the patient’s illness and in their subsequent bereavement.

What’s the role of palliative care in cancer treatment?

Palliative care addresses physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the patients and their family members. It starts from the start of the cancer diagnosis, throughout the treatment and later too. Palliative care is provided whether patient is receiving curative treatment or palliative treatment.

Is Palliative care and End of life care the same?

Many people assume Palliative care and End of life care are the same. As discussed above palliative care begins from the start of diagnosis and continues throughout of the treatment and follow up whereas end of life care also known as hospice care focuses on the quality of life, care and comfort of the patients who are approaching end of their lives.