When someone you love is facing a serious illness, you’re suddenly introduced to a world of unfamiliar medical terms. Two of the most misunderstood are palliative care and hospice care.
Although they share many similarities, they are not the same. Both focus on improving quality of life, relieving symptoms, and supporting patients and their families, but they are designed for different stages of illness and different goals in the care plan.
Understanding these differences can help families make informed decisions and seek valuable support much earlier than many people realize.
What Is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is specialized medical care designed for people living with a serious illness. Its goal is simple:
Help people feel better while they continue living with, and often receiving treatment for, their illness.
Unlike hospice care, palliative care can begin at any stage of a serious illness, even immediately after diagnosis, and can be provided alongside treatments intended to cure or control the disease. The focus isn’t on curing the disease: it’s on helping patients live as comfortably and fully as possible while they may still be receiving treatment from their core medical team.
Examples of illnesses that often benefit from palliative care include:
- Cancer
- Congestive heart failure
- COPD
- Parkinson’s disease
- ALS
- Dementia
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Serious neurological conditions
What Is Hospice Care?
Hospice care is compassionate care designed for people whose illness is no longer responding to curative treatment and whose medical team believes they are likely in the final months of life. Hospice is generally appropriate when a provider determines a patient has a life expectancy of about six months or less if the illness follows its anticipated course. Medicare and most insurance plans cover hospice services. Rather than trying to cure the illness, hospice focuses on:
- Comfort
- Dignity
- Quality of life
- Symptom relief
- Emotional and spiritual support
- Family guidance
The Biggest Differences
One sentence often explains it best: Palliative care helps people live as well as possible while also receiving treatment. Hospice care helps people live as comfortably as possible when treatment is no longer the goal.
Palliative Care |
Hospice Care |
| Available at any stage of serious illness | Typically for the last months of life |
| Can be provided while receiving curative treatment | Focus shifts from cure to comfort |
| Goal is improving quality of life during illness | Goal is maximizing comfort and dignity at end of life |
| May continue for months or years | Usually begins when life expectancy is about six months or less |
| Supports both patient and family | Supports both patient and family, including bereavement after death |
What Does the Care Team Do?
One of the greatest strengths of both palliative and hospice care is the team approach. Rather than relying on one provider, care is coordinated among professionals who each bring different areas of expertise to serve the patient and family. Together, they care for the whole person, not just the disease.
Depending on the patient’s needs, the team may include:
- Physicians
- Nurse practitioners
- Registered nurses
- Social workers
- Chaplains or spiritual counselors
- Home health aides
- Physical, occupational or speech therapists
- Pharmacists
- Bereavement specialists
- Volunteers (for hospice)
Why These Differences Matter
Many families wait too long to ask about palliative care because they mistakenly associate it with hospice.
In reality, early palliative care has been shown to:
- Improve symptom control
- Reduce pain and discomfort
- Help patients better tolerate treatments
- Reduce anxiety and depression
- Improve communication between families and healthcare providers
- Help patients make informed medical decisions
- Reduce caregiver stress
Likewise, families often delay hospice until the final days of life because they worry it means giving up hope. Quite frankly, the opposite is often true. Patients who begin hospice earlier frequently experience:
- Better pain control
- More time at home
- Fewer emergency room visits
- Greater emotional support
- More meaningful time with loved ones
- Better support for family caregivers
A Few Things Many People Don’t Know
These are some of the biggest misconceptions surrounding palliative and hospice care.
Palliative care is not just for cancer patients.
People with heart disease, COPD, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, kidney failure, and many chronic illnesses benefit from palliative services.
Hospice doesn’t mean care stops.
Medical care continues, but the goal changes. Instead of treating the disease itself, hospice aggressively treats pain, breathing difficulties, nausea, anxiety, fatigue, and other symptoms that affect physical comfort and emotional anxieties for the patient and the family.
Hospice isn’t a place.
Many people receive hospice care:
- In their own home
- Assisted living communities
- Skilled nursing facilities
- Hospice houses
- Hospitals (when appropriate)
Some people leave hospice.
If a person’s condition improves or stabilizes, they may no longer qualify for hospice and can return to traditional medical care, with palliative care support to still focus on optimizing quality of life. Hospice is not necessarily a permanent decision.
Both services care for families, not just patients.
Serious illness affects everyone. Both palliative and hospice teams provide education, emotional support, guidance, and help families navigate very difficult decisions. Hospice also offers grief and bereavement support after the loss of a loved one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is palliative care only for people who are dying?
No. Palliative care is appropriate at any stage of a serious illness and may continue for months or even years while someone receives treatment intended to manage or cure their disease.
Can someone receive chemotherapy while receiving palliative care?
Yes. Palliative care works alongside treatments like chemotherapy, dialysis, surgery, or other therapies designed to treat the illness.
Does hospice mean giving up?
Not at all. Hospice changes the focus from curing disease to maximizing comfort, dignity, and quality of life. Many families later say they wish they had chosen hospice sooner because of the additional support it provided.
Who decides when hospice is appropriate?
Hospice eligibility is determined by providers based on the patient’s condition and prognosis. Families are always involved in the discussion and decision-making process.
Can someone receive hospice at home?
Absolutely. In fact, many hospice patients receive care wherever they call home.
How Do You Know Which Is Right?
Palliative care may be appropriate if:
- A serious illness has recently been diagnosed
- Symptoms are difficult to manage
- Medical treatments are ongoing
- You need help coordinating care
- You want additional support while continuing treatment
Hospice may be appropriate if:
- Curative treatments are no longer effective or desired
- Comfort becomes the primary goal
- The illness has advanced significantly
- The patient wishes to focus on quality of life and time with loved ones
The right answer is different for every family, and that’s okay.
We’re Here to Help
No family should have to navigate a serious illness alone.
Whether you are exploring palliative care, considering hospice, or simply trying to understand your options, our compassionate team is here to help. We understand these conversations come with uncertainty, difficult decisions, and a wide range of emotions. Our experienced professionals are committed to providing not only exceptional clinical care, but also the guidance, education, and emotional support families need every step of the way.
Our goal is to help patients live with comfort, dignity, and peace, all while giving families the confidence that they have caring partners supporting them every step of the way.
Whether you’re just beginning to ask questions or feel palliative care or hospice may be the next choice, we’re always here to help and answer any questions, with no pressure and no obligation. Click here to see the counties we serve for Palliative Care, and click here for our Hospice service areas.
Reach out to us at 866-282-6090 to talk about your needs and to learn more about the best options for you or your loved one.
Suggested Resources for more information
- National Institute on Aging – What Are Palliative Care and Hospice Care?
- National Institute on Aging – Frequently Asked Questions About Palliative Care
- National Institute on Aging – Frequently Asked Questions About Hospice Care
- National Institute on Aging – Four Myths About Palliative and Hospice Care
- National Cancer Institute – Palliative Care Fact Sheet
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services – Hospice Information