Palliative careArea of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing sufferingLook up palliative in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.Palliative care (from Latin root palliare "to cloak") is an interdisciplinary medical care-giving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating or reducing suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Many definitions of palliative care exist.
HospiceHospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation (providing relief of pain) of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by reducing pain and suffering.
Progressive diseaseProgressive disease or progressive illness is a disease or physical ailment whose course in most cases is the worsening, growth, or spread of the disease. This may happen until death, serious debility, or organ failure occurs. Some progressive diseases can be halted and reversed by treatment (surgical, dietary, or lifestyle interventions). Many can be slowed by medical therapy. Some cannot be altered by current treatments.
Chronic conditionA chronic condition, also known as a chronic disease or chronic illness, is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects. The term chronic is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months.
CureA cure is a substance or procedure that resolves a medical condition. This may include a medication, a surgical operation, a lifestyle change, or even a philosophical shift that alleviates a person's suffering or achieves a state of healing. The medical condition can be a disease, mental illness or genetic disorder. An incurable disease is not necessarily a terminal illness, and conversely, a curable illness can still be fatal.
CaregiverA caregiver, care or support worker is a person who provides care for people struggling with their everyday activities due to age, long-term illness or disability. A caregiver can be either formal or informal. Formal caregivers (also known as paid caregivers) are trained professionals, including care workers at hospitals, day-care centers and nursing homes; home care and respite care providers; healthcare assistants; and other unlicensed assistive personnel.
DeathDeath is the end of an organism's life. It is the irreversible cessation of biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death is inevitable for all living things, as nature's tendency to disorder will cause all living systems to degrade and fail through various causes. The identification of the moment of death presents certain difficulties. A person may experience clinical death that is reversible, resulting in some cases in a near-death experience.
DiseaseA disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that are associated with specific signs and symptoms. A disease may be caused by external factors such as pathogens or by internal dysfunctions.
CancerGroup of diseases involving cell growthMedical conditionCancer is a group of diseases involving uncontrolled cell growth typically resulting in tumors with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These malignant tumors contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Over 100 types of cancers affect humans. About 33% of deaths from cancer are caused by tobacco and alcohol, obesity, lack of fruit and vegetables in the diet and lack of exercise.
Life expectancyHuman life expectancy is a statistical measure of the estimate of the average remaining years of life at a given age. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth (LEB, or in demographic notation e0, where ex denotes the average life remaining at age x). This can be defined in two ways.
TherapyA therapy or medical treatment is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. Both words, treatment and therapy, are often abbreviated Tx, or Tx. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different types of therapy. Not all therapies are effective. Many therapies can produce unwanted adverse effects. Treatment and therapy are often synonymous, especially in the usage of health professionals.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.