Palliative care is a unique service.
Its goal is to provide competent and compassionate care for persons diagnosed with a life-threatening illness when the hope of cure is no longer possible. Palliative care is delivered by an interdisciplinary team that provides sensitive and skilled care to meet the physical, psycho-social and spiritual needs of both the patient and the family. The philosophy and principles of palliative care may apply to patient populations other than the dying and palliative care programs may have a secondary role in addressing the needs of these groups. Control of pain, of other symptoms, and of psychological, social and spiritual problems, is paramount. The goal of palliative care is achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families.