A Simple Guide to Understanding Hospice and Palliative Care
Caring for a loved one with a serious illness can feel overwhelming—emotionally, physically, and logistically. When doctors begin mentioning hospice or palliative care, families often aren’t sure what those terms mean or when these services should be considered.
At Mosaic Healthcare, we believe that clarity brings comfort. Here is a simple, easy-to-understand guide to help you navigate these two important types of care.
What Is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is specialized medical support for people living with chronic or serious illnesses. It focuses on comfort, symptom management, and quality of life, while allowing the patient to continue receiving curative treatments.
Key features of palliative care:
- Can be provided at any stage of illness
- Can be given alongside traditional, curative treatments
- Helps manage symptoms like pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, and anxiety
- Provides emotional and spiritual support to both patients and families
- Encourages goals-of-care conversations to align treatment with the patient’s wishes
- Helps coordinate care between specialists, hospitals, and family
Think of palliative care as an added layer of support, a medical team that walks with you, explains what’s happening, and helps you navigate each step.
What Is Hospice Care?
Hospice care is a specific type of palliative care for patients who are in the advanced stages of illness, typically with a prognosis of six months or less if the disease follows its expected course.
The focus shifts from curing the illness to maximizing comfort, dignity, and quality of life.
Key features of hospice:
- Designed for patients in the last stages of serious illness
- Provided wherever the patient calls home: private residence, assisted living, or nursing home
- Regular nurse visits and 24/7 on-call availability for urgent care, monitoring, and education.
- Offers medical equipment, medications, and supplies related to the terminal diagnosis
- Includes emotional, social, and spiritual support for both the patient and their family
- Helps families prepare for end-of-life transitions with compassion and clarity
- Hospice aides provide assistance with bathing, grooming, hygiene, and daily comfort needs.
- Physician-led management of pain, symptoms, and medications to ensure comfort and stability
Hospice does not mean giving up, it means choosing comfort, peace, and quality of life.
How Are They Different?
| Palliative Care | Hospice Care |
|---|---|
| Available at any time during illness | Typically recommended during the last 6 months |
| Can continue curative treatments | Focused entirely on comfort |
| Helps manage symptoms while still treating the disease | Helps manage symptoms when treatment is no longer beneficial |
| Care team collaborates with ongoing providers | Hospice team becomes the primary support system |
Both forms of care are meaningful, supportive, and patient-centered—they just meet patients at different points along their journey.
Where Mosaic Healthcare Fits In
At Mosaic Healthcare, we bring all the pieces of care together.
Our team provides:
- Supportive Care & Palliative Services for symptom management and ongoing guidance
- Hospice Care for comfort, dignity, and compassionate end-of-life support
- Supportive Care to help patients safely move from hospital to home and provide ongoing support and resources
- Continuous communication with families, social workers, and providers
We tailor every care plan to the unique needs of each patient, ensuring their journey is supported with kindness and professionalism.
Understanding these services empowers families to make the best decisions for their loved ones. Whether a patient needs help managing symptoms, navigating a chronic illness, or seeking comfort during advanced stages, Mosaic Healthcare is here to guide and support every step of the way.
If you have questions or want an assessment for your loved one, our team is always here to help.
