Q: What is the difference between Palliative Care and Hospice?
A: Palliative Care focuses on relieving suffering and improving quality of life in any stage of a progressive illness. Hospice Care focuses on similar issues but includes patients, who are no
longer seeking aggressive life-prolonging medical therapies and their prognosis is less than six months.

Q: What types of conditions can be helped by Palliative Care?
A: All chronic or serious illnesses, including patients with such illnesses as Cancer, Congestive Heart Failure, Lung Disease, Stroke, Kidney Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, etc.

Q: When is it appropriate to consider Palliative Care?
A: Palliative Care is best introduced early after diagnosis of a progressive or life-threatening illness. Palliative Care helps patients and their families throughout the course of their illness in
conjunction with curative care and aggressive medical therapy.

Q: How can patients request Palliative Care?
A: Patients or family members can request a referral to McLeod Palliative Care by contacting their physician or asking their nurse.

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