5 Misconceptions About Palliative Care

Richard Besdine, MD medical officer for the American Federation for Aging Research, has a terrific piece in the Huffington Post about palliative care and misconceptions about the field.  This is GeriPal to the core.  Please follow this link to read the full version.

As a tantalizing preview, here are the 5 misconceptions in brief:

1. If you accept palliative care, you must stop treatment.
2. Palliative care is the same as hospice.
3. Electing palliative care means you are giving up.
4. Palliative care shortens life expectancy.
5. There isn’t need for palliative care because my doctor will address pain anyway.

Sound familiar?

by: Alex Smith @alexsmithMD