Palliative Care in Long-Term Care Settings

Updated 30 October 2026 · Educational resource

Palliative care focuses on relieving symptoms and improving quality of life for people with serious illness. It can be provided alongside curative treatment or as the main approach when the goals of care shift toward comfort. Many nursing home and care home residents benefit from palliative approaches even if they are not enrolled in formal hospice.

What palliative care includes

• Assessment and management of pain and other symptoms
• Support for emotional, social, and spiritual needs
• Help with advance care planning
• Coordination with physicians, hospice teams, and families
• Staff education in comfort-focused care

In the US, hospice services can be provided in nursing homes for eligible residents. In the UK, palliative care may be supported by specialist teams or by the home’s own nursing staff in partnership with GPs and community services. Families should ask how the facility addresses pain, breathlessness, and other symptoms and how goals of care are documented and reviewed.

Disclaimer: Palliative care decisions are personal and clinical. This page is educational only.

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