What is palliative care?

Palliative care is medical care that concentrates on reducing the severity of disease symptoms without prolonging suffering. The goal is to prevent and relieve discomfort and to improve quality of life for people facing a fatal illness. Palliative care usually employs a team approach and may be provided at any time during a person's illness, even from the time of diagnosis. It may be given simultaneously with other treatments that attempt to treat the underlying disease.