Frequently asked questions about palliative care
On these pages you can find answers to questions often posed to professionals working in palliative care and hospice care.
Is palliative care the same as hospice care?Why do pain medications make you feel tired?Do strong pain medications such as morphine cause respiratory depression?Does a medicine dispenser (pain pump) hasten the patient’s death? At the end of life, if you’re no longer able to eat or drink, and you are not given hydration, will you die of hunger or thirst?Does hospice care involve hastening death?When is the decision made to move to hospice care? Why was the treatment team unable to predict the moment of death?Why is there a rattling sound in the breathing of the dying person?If the patient is unconscious, can they hear me?How can you tell or see that death is approaching?My loved one is afraid of dying and is experiencing anxiety. What’s the best way for me to support them?Why does my loved one not want to talk to me about their incurable illness?Why were there changes in the patient’s diabetes care regimen after they were moved to hospice care?How can you tell if the patient is experiencing pain if they are unable to say so themselves?Is palliative sedation the same as euthanasia?Does a DNR (EIE) mean that I will no longer receive treatment?Does starting a medication dispenser (pain pump) mean that I’m dying?Will I become addicted to strong pain medication?Can all my symptoms be removed completely?