A lot of people misunderstand what palliative care actually encompasses, assuming that it’s only related to making people comfortable at the end of their lives. But palliative care has so much more to it.
“Palliative care is a team of health care providers … who are focused on symptoms management and the comfort of patients,” says Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “They can also help facilitate important family conversations, and help illicit from patients needs related to their quality of life.”
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Dr. Comen also pointed out that a palliative care team can be brought in for people who have both curable and incurable diseases. The goal is to help people feel and live better – and studies have shown the benefits of getting a palliative care team on-board early on after a diagnosis.
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