What is Hospice & Palliative Care?

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is a patient-centered, coordinated care that aims to relieve the suffering and improve the quality of life for patients who have a life-limiting illness or diagnosis. Palliative care takes a holistic approach to treat the impact of an illness and focuses on the patient and their family/caregivers. Palliative care is often provided in addition to clinical care, which focuses on treatment of the illness or disease.

Examples of palliative services may include:

  • Pain and symptom management
  • Personal support services (meal preparation, home cleaning, wound cleaning & dressing)
  • Emotional, spiritual, and social support
  • Respite and caregiver support
  • Bereavement support

“Palliative Care is all about LIVING the best you can, as LONG as you can.”

Dr. Debbie Gowan

What is Hospice Care?

Hospice care is available towards the end of life when the decision is made to stop curative and life-prolonging treatments. Generally, a patient receiving hospice care has been given the prognosis of less than 6 months to live. Hospice provides all the same services as palliative care, but focuses strictly on comfort and quality of life, rather than treatment of the disease or illness.

Most of the time, palliative and hospice care can occur anywhere, and patients may choose to receive treatments at home, in hospital, in a long-term care facility, or another place of their choosing.

For more information, find a helpful information sheet here about Hospice & Palliative Care.