Facing Serious Illness: Palliative Care and Hospice
Receiving a serious diagnosis can bring uncertainty, fear, and difficult questions for patients and their loved ones. Catholic whole-person care recognizes that every person should be accompanied with compassion and supported physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually throughout serious illness.
Journeying through serious illness and the end of life includes communication with loved ones and healthcare professionals, palliative care, hospice, and spiritual accompaniment. The resources below can help individuals and families begin important conversations, better understand available forms of care, and approach serious illness with hope, preparation, and respect for the dignity of human life.
Please note, resources that connect to doctors or other health professionals are not Catholic exclusive. Users should ensure selected health care providers act consistent with Catholic teaching on the end of life.
Facing a Serious Diagnosis
A serious diagnosis can leave patients and families unsure of what questions to ask, how to communicate their priorities, or where to begin. Preparing for conversations with healthcare professionals and discussing one’s values and wishes with trusted family members can help patients participate more fully in decisions about their care.
Palliative Care
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness. This treatment focuses on relieving pain, symptoms, and stress while supporting the patient’s quality of life and the needs of their family. Palliative care may be provided at any stage of serious illness and alongside treatment intended to cure or manage the condition.
Hospice Care
Hospice provides end-of-life care for people with terminal illnesses, focusing on comfort, symptom management, quality of life, and support for patients and their families. Hospice care is guided by an individualized plan of care and may include medical, emotional, social, spiritual, caregiver, and grief support.
Medicare Hospice Benefits Guide — Please note: Medicare coverage information may change. To verify that this is the latest version, visit Medicare’s Publications page and search for Medicare Hospice Benefits, publication No. 02154.
Patients and families are also encouraged to seek spiritual and sacramental support through their parish priest or a Catholic hospital chaplain. WSCC’s existing end-of-life resources offer additional Catholic guidance for making healthcare decisions and preparing for the end of life in Washington state.