Palliative care and hospice care are both types of care for people with serious illnesses, but there are some key differences between them. Here are the main differences between palliative care and hospice care:

Palliative Care:

• Focuses on easing pain and discomfort, reducing stress, and helping people have the highest quality of life possible.
• Can be pursued at diagnosis, during curative treatment and follow-up, and at the end of life.
• Can address any stage of a serious illness and can include disease treatment.
• Is a resource for anyone living with a serious illness.
• Can be provided in any care setting, such as the home, a hospital, nursing homes, and outpatient clinics.
• Is provided by a specially trained team of doctors, nurses, and other specialists.

Hospice Care:

• Focuses on quality of life when a cure is no longer possible, or the burdens of treatment outweigh the benefits.
• Is comfort care without curative intent; the patient no longer has curative options or has chosen not to pursue treatment because the side effects outweigh the benefits.
• Serves people who have stopped treatments to cure or reverse a disease and who likely have six months or less to live.
• Is compassionate comfort care (as opposed to curative care) for people facing a terminal illness with a prognosis of six months or less, based on their physician’s estimate if the disease runs its course as expected.
• Can be provided wherever the patient lives, including nursing facilities and long-term care facilities.
• Provides comprehensive comfort care as well as support for the family.

Its important to note that palliative care could transition to hospice care if the doctor believes the person is likely to die within six months, or the palliative care team could continue to help with increasing emphasis on comfort care.