Palliative Care: Patients and Families

Get Palliative Care is an online resource, which provides clear comprehensive palliative care information for patients and families coping with serious, complex illness. Key components of the site include a Palliative Care Directory of Hospitals, a definition of palliative care, and a detailed description of what palliative care is and how it is different from hospice. It also provides an interactive questionnaire to assist people in determining whether palliative care is appropriate for them or their loved-ones. Provided by the Center to Advance Palliative Care.

Palliative care (pronounced pal-lee-uh-tiv) is specialized medical care focusing on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. It is provided by a specially-trained team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient's other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. The goal is to improve a patient's quality of life.

Palliative care helps patients carry on with daily life. It improves patients' ability to go through medical treatments. And it helps them to match their goals to their treatment choices.