Episode 66: How You Can Use Palliative Care to Define Goals of Care During Death and Dying

What if you didn’t have to wait until your loved one was actively dying to bring palliative care into the conversation? When someone is seriously ill or approaching the end of life, it can be incredibly difficult to know what you’re actually working toward. In the hospital, you may meet a different physician each day, hear different recommendations from different specialists, and feel like you’re constantly trying to figure out the next step. That’s where palliative care can make a tremendous difference. In this episode, I explain what palliative care actually does, why it is different from hospice, and why I believe families should consider bringing the palliative care team in sooner rather than later. I also talk about how palliative care can help you define goals of care, manage difficult symptoms, and provide consistency when everything else feels overwhelming. By listening, you’ll learn: 1. **How palliative care can help you define clear goals of care** so you know what you’re actually trying to accomplish during a hospital stay and beyond. 2. **How palliative care can help manage difficult symptoms** during serious illness and the death and dying process, including situations where standard approaches aren’t enough. 3. **Why bringing palliative care in earlier can provide consistency and support** for both you and your loved one instead of waiting until the final days or hours. If you’re navigating serious illness, hospitalization, or death and dying with someone you love, listen to this episode to understand how palliative care can help you create a clearer, more achievable plan of care—and make the experience more supported for everyone involved. *Prescription for Admission* is a podcast for Gen X and Millennial family caregivers navigating the healthcare system and medical system for loved ones living with conditions like diabetes, dementia, cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline, helping them understand hospital care, navigate hospital stays, work effectively with doctors and specialists, organize medical records, connect with a case manager, seek a second opinion, become an effective medical advocate, and improve care coordination and discharge planning. Visit my website: ⁠⁠www.drmoniquenugent.com⁠⁠ Shop & Resources: The Shop: Get the Book and other Advocacy Resources Hospital Smart Packages: Choose the perfect Hospital Smart Package for yourself Follow us on socials for daily advocacy tips: ⁠⁠Instagram/@the\happiest\hospitalist⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook/DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn/DrMoniqueNugentMDMPH⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube/@DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok/@drmoniquenugent⁠ **Support the Show** If you found this episode helpful, please **subscribe** and leave a **5-star review**. Your support helps us reach more people who need a map through the hospital maze. *Prescription for Admission is a resource to help you navigate healthcare with confidence. Remember, you are your own best advocate.*