All Hospice is Palliative Care but Not all Palliative Care is Hospice.
Ten years ago, palliative care was a unique and frequently misunderstood medical specialty. Sometimes referred to as “comfort care,” palliative care is a specialized approach. The goal of palliative care is to provide relief from the symptoms, pain and stress of serious illness. It is designed to improve the quality of life of both the patient and the patient’s family.
Today, this approach is being used by other healthcare providers, including teams in hospitals, nursing facilities and home health agencies in combination with other medical treatments. Systems and structures for quality care, although still unevenly accessible, are improving. Unfortunately, gaps remain in the delivery of palliative care in the community and, most importantly, in the access to palliative care in the home.
To meet this growing need for community-based palliative care programs, NHPCO offers a variety of resources and education to professionals seeking to further their clinical knowledge, promoting innovative strategies to deliver care in all settings.
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To learn more about Palliative Care, visit www.nhpco.org/palliative-care.