Palliative care

Palliative care is misunderstood, even among medical professionals. Palliative care is a medical specialty that relieves symptoms and stress of serious illness, and typically involves a team of doctors, nurses, chaplains and social workers. Today we speak with two titans in the field who demystify palliative care.

Diane Meier, M.D., is professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York, N.Y., where she also holds a chair in Medical Ethics. Dr. Meier is the director emerita and strategic medical advisor of the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) where she has championed the sharing of best practices in the field of palliative medicine. 

She has been succeeded at CAPC by Brynn Bowman, MPA, the new  chief executive officer. They talk with us about palliative care, about goals of training for caregivers, and the expectations for care that patients and families should expect. 

To find a palliative care program near you, visit getpalliativecare.org or follow them on Twitter. 

Here's a link to CAPC's Tipping Point Challenge.

CONTRIBUTORS

• Seán Collins
• Diane Meier MD
• Brynn Bowman MPA

KEYWORDS

• best practices
• geriatrics
• medical ethics
• palliative care