Palliative care is a speciaized health care specialty, appropriate for any patient with a serious or chronic illness and their family, from the moment of diagnosis through long term treatment.
Curative care focuses on the disease, and treating it.
Palliative care focuses on a person’s EXPERIENCE of the disease (and its treatment). A palliative care team provides expertise that:
- Ensures pain and symptoms are well-controlled
- Gives you an advocate for your medical care
- Helps you clarify goals of care and advance directives
- Eases the challenges around treatment
