Palliative Care

Palliative care aims to give the best possible quality of life to someone living with a life-limiting or terminal illness. It helps people live their life as fully and as comfortably as possible. It is not the same as end-of-life care, which is care given during the last few weeks of life. Palliative care can be helpful at any stage of an illness. Some people receive palliative care for years.

Accepting palliative care does not mean you are giving up hope. Many people receive palliative care at the same time as active treatment. However, people with life-limiting illnesses may find that they gradually change their focus to concentrating on the things that are most important to them, such as feeling comfortable and having meaningful relationships.