Palliative Care Glossary: Common Terms Explained Simply
The Words Nobody Explains to You
Medical conversations are full of terms that get used quickly, assuming you already know them. Here are the ones families encounter most, explained simply.
- What does “palliative care” mean?
- Care focused on comfort and quality of life for someone with a serious illness, which can begin at diagnosis and continue alongside treatment. Read more in our Understanding Palliative Care guides.
- What does “hospice care” mean?
- Care specifically for the end-of-life stage, usually once curative treatment has stopped. See our full comparison in Palliative Care vs Hospice: What’s the Difference?.
- What is an “advance directive” or “living will”?
- A document stating a person's wishes for care if they're later unable to communicate them.
- What does “palliative sedation” mean?
- Medication used specifically to relieve severe, otherwise unmanageable symptoms, under a doctor's care — not the same as ending life.
- What is “respite care”?
- Short-term care that gives a family caregiver a break.
- What is “bereavement support”?
- Support offered to a family after a loss, not just before it.
- What is a “multidisciplinary team”?
- A care team that includes more than just a doctor — often a nurse, counselor, and social worker together.
- What does “comfort care” mean?
- Another common term for palliative-style, symptom-focused care.
- What does “DNR” (Do Not Resuscitate) mean?
- A specific medical instruction, made in advance, not to perform CPR if the heart stops.
- What is “anticipatory grief”?
- Grief that begins before a loss actually happens, often while caring for someone seriously ill.
Continue Exploring
This glossary will keep growing as new terms come up across our FAQs & Glossary section. For support with a caregiver’s own wellbeing, see our Caregiver Support guides.
A Note From Amardeep
I trained as a palliative care volunteer through Pallium India’s Volunteer Training Programme, and this blog exists to share what I’ve learned in plain language — because I remember how confusing and frightening these terms were before someone explained them to me clearly. I’m not currently offering clinical services; this is an educational space for families navigating serious illness in Mumbai and beyond.
More about Amardeep and this site →
Please also read our Medical Disclaimer before acting on anything you read here.
If a term you’ve heard isn’t here yet, there’s more where this came from. Subscribe for plain-language guides on caring for a loved one with serious illness, written from Mumbai for families anywhere. Have a term you’d like explained? Send it in — sam-bhava reads every one, even though it can’t offer individual medical advice.