A term applied to treatment that eases the symptoms of a disorder rather than curing the condition. (See also HOSPICE; PALLIATIVE CARE.)
1. adj. providing relief from the symptoms of a disease but without effecting a cure. Although not curative, palliative chemotherapy may significantly extend life expectancy. Palliative care is used in the treatment of terminal illness where cure is impossible and many previously administered treatments have become burdensome to the patient. 2. n. a palliative medicine.
The active total care offered to a person and that person’s family when it is recognized that the illness is no longer curable, in order to concentrate on the person’s quality of life and the alleviation of distressing symptoms. The focus of palliative care is neither to hasten nor postpone death. It provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms and integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of care. It offers a support system to help relatives and friends cope during an individual’s illness and with their bereavement.... palliative care
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