Palliative Care
Palliative care is "care given to improve the quality of life of patients who have a serious or life-threatening disease. The goal of palliative care is to prevent or treat as near as possible the symptoms of a disease, side effects caused by treatment of a disease, and psychological, social, and spiritual problems related to a disease or its treatment." It is also called comfort care, supportive care, and symptom management. (From the
2012-2017 Iowa Cancer Plan)
Palliative Care Resources
American Society of Clinical Oncology: www.cancer.net/sites/cancer.net/files/palliative_care.pdf
National Cancer Institute: www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Support/palliative-care
American Cancer Society: www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/palliativecare/index
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization: www.nhpco.org/palliative-care-0
This 15-minute video explains palliative care, how it differs from Hospice care, and its role in cancer treatment.
