Palliative care is for people of any age who have been diagnosed with a serious illness that cannot be cured. Palliative care assists people with illnesses such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, neurological disease, dementia, congenital anomalies and drug-resistant tuberculosis, AIDS, diabetes and end-stage kidney or lung disease to manage symptoms and improve quality of life.

For some people, palliative care may be beneficial from the time of diagnosis with a serious life-limiting illness. Palliative care can be given alongside treatments given by other doctors.

Apart from the patients, palliative care also aims to lower the suffering of the carers who provides care to the patients starting from the diagnosis of their illness. Palliative care takes into account both formal and informal carers.

Formal Carers

Providers; a paid professional; associated with a formal service system of the patients with life limiting illnesses. It may include:

• Physicians
• Nurses
• Volunteers

Informal Carers

These individuals may be primary or secondary caregivers and live with, or separately from, the person receiving care. It involves anyone who has a signification personal association with the patient with a terminal illness. It may include:

• Spouse
• Relative
• Friend
• Neighbor