Palliative Care for Chronic Illnesses

Palliative Care began as a way to help cancer patients cope with the effects of the disease and the side effects of cancer treatment. It became clear, however, that cancer patients weren’t the only ones who could benefit from palliative care. As today’s population lives longer and longer, the number of adults living with chronic illness such as heart disease, COPD, and dementia has grown. Because so many illnesses and conditions can benefit from palliative care, not all can be listed here but we will briefly discuss the more common ones.