Difference between hospice and palliative care

Hi . I am glad you created this forum post. It can all be very confusing because they are so closely related.
Most people understand that hospice care is for people with a diagnosis that is considered terminal. It is designed to help patients and their loved ones emotionally and physically as the patient moves from this life to the next. There is an understanding that medical professionals will not go above and beyond to save the patients' life when doing so would only prolong suffering. It's about comfort, peace and respect.
Pallative care, on the other hand does not depend on whether your condition can be cured and is a great option for relieving stress and bringing comfort to people with chronic illnesses. As with hospice, it takes a team approach that includes doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains and other specialists, and it can be different for everyone.
The idea of pallitive care is to coordinate efforts and make life easier on everyone. It doesn't matter what stage you are in or how old you are. You can still qualify. Many people with curable cancers use pallative care during the most intense stages of their treatments. It is also popular with people who have chronic illness that are not necessarily life-threatening illness, like MS or RA.
My mother-in-law enlisted pallative care as a step between her regular health care and hospice. It was wonderful, especially since back issues made trips in the car painful and difficult. Her care team did everything possible to make life easier on her by doing blood draws and vaccines at home, and virtual doctor visits whenever possible. A nurse practitioner came to the house when she had an infection that needed treatment and checked on her once a month. They also provided a social worker to help all of us understand how to best help her and to help her cope better with her declining health.
I also enlisted pallative care for my father while he was in a nursing home with late stage MS. The agency sent a nurse practitioner to the nursing home once a month to check on him, which was awesome because the lone doctor assigned to the nursing home was never able to give him the level of care he needed. He had yearround allergies that made him especially uncomfortable because MS impacted his ability to cough. I could call on the nurse practitioner any time he needed more meds or an nebulizer. She also ordered changes in his diet and physical therapy when they benefited him. She dramatically improved his quality of life.
I hope that helps and that others chime in with their own perspectives on the difference between the two.
Best wishes. - Lori (Team Member)

Thank you for clarifying!