Best practices in end-of-life care

If a friend or family member has a life-limiting illness or is nearing death, you'll likely hear the terms "palliative care" and "hospice care."

Palliative care is care to alleviate pain and manage barriers to a good quality of life while undergoing treatment for a serious illness, such as cancer. Palliative care may begin early in treatment and continue even after disease treatment ends.

Hospice care is a service for a person who has discontinued disease-fighting treatments and is preparing to die. Hospice care services provide a means to monitor end-of-life care needs, coordinate professional and family caregiving, and address the entire spectrum of needs at the end of life. This care can be provided in the home, assisted-living residences, nursing homes, hospitals and hospice-care facilities.

Palliative and hospice care depend on a team of people with different specialties, including:

• Doctors
• Nurses
• Home health aides
• Social workers or counselors
• Clergy or other spiritual advisors