Palliative Care vs. Hospice Care: What’s the Difference and How to Access Each
When someone you love is facing a serious illness, the language around care options can get confusing fast. Palliative care, comfort care, hospice care—these terms often get mixed together, even though they describe different services with different goals. Understanding these differences can help you make informed, grounded, and empowered decisions for yourself or those you care for.
Let’s break it down in a compassionate, accessible way.
What Is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is specialized medical support for anyone living with a serious illness—at any stage, and alongside curative treatment.
It focuses on:
Symptom management (pain, nausea, breathlessness, fatigue)
Emotional, psychological, and spiritual support
Improving quality of life for patient and family
Helping you navigate medical decisions, goals of care, and long-term planning
Palliative care does not require stopping treatment. You can receive chemo, dialysis, surgeries, or other curative interventions while under palliative care.
It can be provided:
In hospitals
In outpatient clinics
At home
In long-term care facilities
How to Access Palliative Care
You can request a palliative care consult at any time during an illness.
Here’s how:
Ask your primary care provider or specialist for a palliative care referral.
Contact local hospitals—most mid-size and large hospitals have palliative teams.
Search for “palliative care near me” through the Center to Advance Palliative Care’s provider directory.
If caring at home, ask your doctor about community-based palliative programs; many operate separately from hospice agencies.
Insurance including Medicare and Medicaid generally covers palliative care as part of standard medical care, though coverage varies for outpatient visits.
Palliative care is ideal when you want better symptom control, decision-making support, or holistic care at any point in the illness journey.
What Is Hospice Care?
Hospice is a type of palliative care specifically for people who are approaching the end of life, typically with a prognosis of six months or less if the illness follows its natural course.
Hospice focuses entirely on comfort rather than cure. The goal is to support a peaceful, dignified, meaningful end-of-life experience.
Hospice services include:
Pain and symptom management
Home visits from nurses and aides
Emotional and spiritual support
Social work and care coordination
Medical equipment and supplies delivered to the home (hospital bed, oxygen, etc.)
24/7 nurse availability
Respite care for caregivers
Bereavement support for families
Hospice can be provided:
In your home
In a hospice residence
In a nursing facility
Occasionally in the hospital (for short stays to manage acute symptoms)
Hospice does not mean “giving up.” It means shifting the focus to comfort, dignity, presence, and connection.
How to Access Hospice Care
Ask your doctor for a hospice referral.
You can also self-refer directly to most hospice agencies.Reach out to local hospice organizations.
Many nonprofits serve specific counties or regions.Schedule an informational visit.
These are free, no-obligation conversations to learn about services.Discuss eligibility.
Hospice admission requires a physician’s certification of a six-month prognosis, but care can continue longer if needed.Insurance coverage:
Hospice is fully covered by Medicare Hospice Benefit, Medicaid, and most private insurers. This typically includes medications related to comfort, equipment, nursing care, and support services.
Hospice is ideal when the focus shifts to comfort, quality of life, and support for both patient and family, without the burdens of aggressive treatment.
How Palliative Care and Hospice Work Together
Palliative care can begin years before hospice is needed. Think of it as a continuum:
Palliative care supports you during diagnosis, treatment, and symptom management.
Hospice steps in when treatment is no longer the primary goal and comfort becomes the focus.
Both center quality of life, compassion, and dignity—but at different moments in the illness journey.
How to Decide Which Is Right for You or a Loved One
Consider palliative care if:
You want support managing symptoms.
You’re still pursuing treatment.
You need help navigating medical decisions or coping with the emotional and spiritual aspects of illness.
Consider hospice if:
Life expectancy is limited.
Treatment is no longer improving quality of life.
Comfort, presence, and dignity feel more important than interventions.
Caregivers need more support.
A palliative care team can even help you evaluate when the time is right for hospice.
Closing Thoughts
End-of-life care isn’t about abandoning hope—it’s about redefining it. Whether through palliative care, hospice care, or both, you deserve compassionate support, comfort, and clarity every step of the way.
