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anonymous320762 Asked May 2019

When is time for palliative care?

What is the difference between palliative care and hospice?

MargaretMcKen May 2019
I think that DeeAnna has explained the situation well for most services in the USA. However in some agencies and some countries, there is little difference. Both focus on patient comfort rather than trying to cure an incurable health problem which is going to be terminal. If you are interested in historical derivations, 'hospice' was usually a church run institution for paupers who were going to die, while 'palliative care' was in home or institutional care that 'pallialated' the pain and problems of the individual. They are both just words.

DeeAnna May 2019
Here are some websites that you can copy and paste to your browser:

https://getpalliativecare.org/whatis/faq/

https://www.hospicesect.org/hospice-and-palliative-care

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-are-palliative-care-and-hospice-care

"Who can benefit from palliative care?"
Palliative care is a resource for anyone living with a serious illness, such as heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, dementia, Parkinson's disease, and many others. Palliative care can be helpful at any stage of illness and is best provided from the point of diagnosis.

In addition to improving quality of life and helping with symptoms, palliative care can help patients understand their choices for medical treatment. The organized services available through palliative care may be helpful to any older person having a lot of general discomfort and disability very late in life. Palliative care can be provided along with curative treatment and does not depend on prognosis.

Like palliative care, hospice provides comprehensive comfort care as well as support for the family, but, in hospice, attempts to cure the person's illness are stopped. Hospice is provided for a person with a terminal illness whose doctor believes he or she has 6 months or less to live if the illness runs its natural course.

Hospice is an approach to care, so it is not tied to a specific place. It can be offered in two types of settings—at home or in a facility such as a nursing home, hospital, or even in a separate hospice center.

There are several more websites with information about palliative care and hospice.  Search internet for agencies located in the vicinity of your loved one who needs this type of care.

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Ahmijoy May 2019
In the search bar (the magnifying glass up there in the right hand corner) type in “hospice care vs. palliative Care”. Carol Bradley Bursack, one of our resident experts here, writes and extensive article on it.
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/palliative-care-what-is-it-and-how-is-it-different-from-hospice-197744.htm

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