The misunderstood world of palliative care

There are many misconceptions about palliative care. For example, that it means death is imminent and, as such, is ‘God’s waiting room’. It may also be thought of as the withdrawal of all active or effective treatment, that health professionals have given up, that it hastens death, is just about pain relief and that it is only available in hospital or a hospice. In reality, it is none of these things, as a case study illustrates.