Palliative Care
Palliative care is medical care focused on relieving the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. The goal is better quality of life for the patient and for the family. It can be provided at any stage of an illness, including alongside curative treatments. This is what makes it different from hospice, which is specifically for people who are no longer pursuing a cure.
What palliative care does
It addresses pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, and the emotional toll of living with a serious condition. It doesn’t replace your existing medical team. It works alongside your doctors and nurses to make sure the full picture (not just the disease, but how the disease makes you feel) is being treated.
Palliative care also helps with the hard conversations. What are your goals? What matters most to you? What trade-offs are you willing to make between aggressive treatment and quality of life? Social workers and counselors on the palliative team can help patients and families work through these questions, which often get lost in the rush of medical decision-making.
Who it’s for
Anyone with a serious or chronic illness (cancer, heart failure, COPD, kidney disease, neurological conditions, liver disease) regardless of prognosis. You don’t have to be near the end of life to benefit. The Center to Advance Palliative Care reports that palliative care is associated with better symptom control, reduced hospital readmissions, and improved patient satisfaction across a wide range of conditions.
How it differs from hospice
Palliative care can start at diagnosis and continue through treatment. Hospice begins when curative treatment stops and life expectancy is six months or less. Think of palliative care as the approach, and hospice as a specific program within that approach. MediLodge offers both, and the care team can help determine which is appropriate for your situation.
Getting started
Find a MediLodge location near you and talk with the care team about palliative care options.