What is Palliative Care?

People with serious illnesses often live with physical and emotional pain. Palliative care is specialized medical care that helps to manage patient symptoms, focuses on improving quality of life for both the patient and their family, and makes living with a serious illness easier. 

The palliative care team works with the individual’s current doctors to enhance their care.  Working with the doctor, the team can provide additional treatments to manage symptoms (pain, nausea, fatigue, depression, anxiety, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, constipation etc.) while also helping individuals and their families make difficult health care decisions. 

Palliative care is based on the needs of the patient, not the likely course of the illness. Someone may receive palliative care in the early stages of a diagnosis while also receiving curative treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, dialysis and surgery intended to cure a serious illness. As experts in pain and symptom management, a palliative care team can make it easier for people to tolerate certain treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation.  

Receiving palliative care can also help people stay home rather than having to go to the ER or the hospital. 

Palliative care is appropriate for adults living with serious illnesses such as:

• Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Cancer
• Dementia
• Chronic kidney disease
• Parkinson’s disease

Who Provides Palliative Care?

Palliative care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses, and other specialists who work together with the patient, their caregivers, family, and the patient’s other doctors to provide medical, social, and emotional support. The specialists may include social workers, chaplains, therapists, or nutritionists, among other professionals. A person’s team may vary based on their needs and level of care.  

Where Is Palliative Care Provided?

Palliative care can be provided in any setting, such as hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient palliative care clinics, specialized clinics such as oncology, and at home.

Will My Insurance Cover Palliative Care?

Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance plans will normally cover the medical portions of palliative care (physician and nurse services). If you are a veteran, you may be eligible for palliative care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. It’s a good idea to check with your insurance provider, or work with the social worker or care manager at a hospital or clinic for their help in finding out what services will be covered. 

If you are having a hard time coping with your physical or emotional pain due to a serious illness, speak with a health care provider to see if palliative care may be an option for you.