Palliative care focuses on improving your quality of life by managing pain and other stressful symptoms of a serious illness. Unlike hospice care, reserved for people who likely have 6 months or less to live and are unlikely to be cured, palliative care is for people of any age, and at any stage in illness, whether that illness is curable, chronic, or life threatening.
In this series, “Palliative Care: Living as Well as Possible for as Long as Possible,” you’ll explore key issues in the experience of serious illness, learn what Palliative Care is and how to improve care for the patient and family, and what it can offer to help people achieve the best possible quality of life for as long as possible regardless of their illness.
Latest programs:
Palliative Care: Who is it For, What Does it Do, Why Should I Want it and When?
Serious illness and end of life care has changed. People live longer and death often comes after years of serious, chronic illness. Dr. Steven Pantilat, UCSF Professor of Medicine, explains that the challenge is to help people achieve the best possible quality of life for as long as possible, consistent with their goals and preferences.
Giving Your Loved Ones the Gift of Knowing What You Want: Advance Care Planning
Dr. Rebecca Sudore, Associate Professor of Medicine at UCSF, explains that the goal of advanced care planning is to make sure that the medical care a person gets is the medical care that is in line with her or his life goals and values and to prepare people and their loved ones to make informed choices based on what is most important.
Are There Atheists in a Foxhole?: The Spiritual Dimension Of Illness
Rev. Denah Joseph, Chaplain and Associate Director UCSF Palliative Care Service, reflects on the domains of religion, spirituality, and culture in the care of the seriously ill.
Browse all programs in Palliative Care: Living as Well as Possible for as Long as Possible.