Curative care aims to cure a patient’s disease or promote their recovery from an illness, injury, or impairment. Curative care is given when doctors believe that a patient can potentially recover or continue living with a decent quality of life. In contrast, palliative care is not about curing a patient but instead focuses on providing comfort to patients going through treatment. Palliative care can begin at diagnosis and seeks to improve a patient’s quality of life and minimize their pain while they are receiving treatment.
Unlike curative or palliative care, hospice care only begins when treatment is stopped. Hospice brings comfort and relief to patients who have a life expectancy of six months or less. Hospice aims to improve the quality of life for a patient with a life-limiting disease and their caregivers. A hospice team will manage a patient’s symptoms and pain, provide supportive care for them and their family, and meet their spiritual needs.