NSMC works in collaboration with the Hospice of the North Shore, located in Danvers, MA, to provide palliative care for our patients. Palliative care has become one of the fastest growing specialties in the United States. However, many people are still unfamiliar with palliative care and the many benefits it offers patients and their families.

What is palliative care?

The goal of palliative care is to alleviate physical, emotional and spiritual suffering. It is similar to hospice care, but there is an important difference.

Hospice care is limited to those individuals whose life expectancy is 6 months or less, making hospice benefits unavailable for many patients who are chronically ill or receiving curative treatment. This 6-month requirement, imposed by health care insurers, has led to later referrals to care and briefer stays on hospice, a frightening trend that means many people with life-limiting illnesses are unable to obtain the full benefit of comprehensive hospice care.

Palliative care enables patients who are suffering to find some relief.

To learn more, visit www.hns.org