Palliative care is holistic care offered in any setting for people of any age living with serious illness. It involves a range of care providers and includes the person's unpaid caregivers.

There are many myths about the term "palliative care". Let's clear some things up.

What palliative care can do

Palliative care focuses on quality of life and supports for people living with serious illness, their caregivers and those closest to them. It can:

"Palliative care" and a "palliative approach to care"

Specialist-level palliative care

This is what some people think of when they hear "palliative care". This kind of care is usually for a minority of people whose symptoms and needs are more complex to manage. If you need these services, your health care provider can refer you to a palliative specialist or team for more comprehensive care.

A palliative approach to care

Sometimes this is called "primary- or generalist-level palliative care". Most people can receive high quality palliative care from professionals who aren't palliative specialists:

• throughout an illness
• from the time of diagnosis
• while undergoing treatments meant to cure

A palliative approach to care includes the core elements of palliative care and is provided by non-specialists, working in a variety of settings.

Many different health and social service providers can introduce and provide a palliative approach to care starting at time of diagnosis. Learn more about available services.

If you're a provider, it might not be easy to talk with your patients about their serious illness. It can be hard to know what to say or when to say it.

3 questions to make conversations about serious illness easier

Palliative care stories

Grief support

A palliative approach to care can include grief support for:

• people living with serious illness
• family (or chosen family) and friends
• caregivers

You can receive grief support during an illness and after a loss. It can help you adjust to the realities of loss, while re-learning how to find joy and meaning in life. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. It's a normal response to loss, and everyone's experience of grief will be unique.

If you live with a serious illness, you may experience grief related to:

• changing roles for:
  • you and your family (or chosen family)
  • your social and work relationships
• loss of health, independence and control

If you're a (chosen) family member, friend or caregiver, you may experience grief related to:

• preparing for a future loss
• seeing changes in someone else's health