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End-of-life care is the term used to describe the support and medical care given during the time surrounding death. This type of care does not happen only in the moments before breathing ceases and the heart stops beating.
End-of-life care may involve a team of doctors, nurses, palliative or hospice staff, counselors, and religious community members. People who are dying generally need care in several areas: Physical comfort. The person may experience pain, breathing problems, skin irritation, digestive issues, fatigue, or temperature sensitivities.
Hospice care focuses on the care, comfort, and quality of life of a person with a serious illness who is approaching the end of life. At some point, it may not be possible to cure a serious illness, or a patient may choose not to undergo certain treatments.
End-of-life care. When a loved one is dying, conversations about the end of life may be uncomfortable and hard. Still, talking about end-of-life care is important. Depending on the circumstances, you might be able to help your loved one make important end-of-life decisions.
The goal of end-of-life care is to help people prepare for and make decisions about what they want for support and care. This may include palliative care to control symptoms and help the person with cancer and their loved ones cope with coming changes.
Palliative care can start as early as a person’s diagnosis or not until later in their illness, and it can occur alongside other types of treatment for the disease. This form of care includes, but is not limited to, advance care planning, end-of-life care, hospice care, and bereavement support.
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) states that end-of-life care or hospice care commences when a person has a diagnosis of a terminal illness with less than six months to live, and curative treatments are no longer options.