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About Palliative Care

What is palliative care?

Pediatric palliative care focuses on relieving symptoms, side effects, and stress in children and families facing a serious illness. Palliative care focuses on making each day the best day possible.

The palliative care team is specially trained to provide this type of care. The team works with the primary medical team, patients, and families to plan care. Palliative care can happen at any stage of illness and for patients of any age.

How palliative care can help

The main goals of palliative care for children are to:

  • Manage pain and other physical symptoms such as nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, and trouble sleeping
  • Help with symptoms such as anxiety and depression
  • Offer emotional and social support
  • Match treatment and care choices to your family’s values, customs, and culture
  • Manage care and communication with different health professionals
  • Connect your family to services in your community
Woman touching another woman's arm reassuringly within a clinical setting.

The palliative care team works with the primary medical team to personalize care for the child and his or her family.

When to seek palliative care

Early palliative care is better. It can improve daily life during treatment. It can also lead to better treatment results.

Palliative care is another layer of support at any time during a serious illness.

The palliative care team

A palliative care team may include:

How to get palliative care

Ask your child’s care team about palliative care. Find out your options. Care team members can provide a referral. Some medical centers offer palliative care as soon as a child is diagnosed with a serious illness.

Many health insurance plans cover palliative care services.

Questions to ask your child’s palliative care team

  • How do we work together to create my child’s palliative care plan?
  • How will you manage my child’s pain and other symptoms?
  • How will you communicate with my child’s other health care providers?
  • What happens if my child’s needs change?
  • What services are available to family members?

Key points about palliative care

  • Pediatric palliative care focuses on relieving symptoms, side effects, and stress in children and families facing a serious illness.
  • The palliative care team is specially trained to provide this type of care. It includes doctors, nurses, social workers, and other health care providers.
  • Palliative care can happen at any stage of illness and for patients of any age.
  • Ask your care team about your palliative care options.

—
Reviewed: January 2024

Resources

The following brochures, available from NHPCO's CaringInfo, provide information to families caring for seriously ill children:

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