National Hospice & Palliative Care Month 2025

This year's theme for National Hospice & Palliative Care Month 2025 highlights the importance of caring for patients as whole people—not just treating a disease. This year’s theme, “We See the Whole You,” reminds us that true patient-centered care requires attention to physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

In the outpatient setting, palliative care is an essential component of whole-person care. By focusing on comprehensive symptom management—addressing pain, fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, anxiety, and other distressing symptoms—palliative care enables patients to maintain quality of life while continuing necessary treatments. It empowers patients and their families to actively participate in care decisions and provides support that extends beyond clinical interventions.

Palliative care also emphasizes early intervention, helping patients navigate the challenges of chronic or serious illness before crises occur. By addressing symptoms proactively and supporting emotional and social needs, outpatient palliative care helps patients stay engaged in daily life, reduces unnecessary hospital visits, and fosters a sense of control and dignity.

At its core, palliative care is about recognizing the whole person—their goals, values, and experiences—and tailoring care to meet those needs. This National Hospice & Palliative Care Month, we celebrate the collaborative effort of our patient care teams and wellness services offered at NYCBS,  that make this holistic, compassionate care possible, and we reaffirm our commitment to seeing and supporting every patient as a person, not  a diagnosis.

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Palliative care is a specialized approach to improve patients quality of life by managing symptoms like pain, nausea, and fatigue, and providing emotional, social, and spiritual support. It is often confused with Hospice care and it is important to understand that it is not the same as hospice care. Palliative care and treatments can be given at any stage of  illness, even alongside curative treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. The overall goal of palliative care management  is to help patients and their families live as well as possible while living with a serious illness. 

Key aspects of palliative care for cancer patients

• Symptom management: palliative care teams help relieve symptoms caused by the cancer or its treatment, such as pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, and nausea. 

• Support for the whole person: It addresses the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the patient, as well as the psychological impact on caregivers. 

• Can be given with other treatments: Patients can receive palliative care at the same time as they are getting active, curative treatments like chemotherapy or radiation to shrink the tumor. 

• Focuses on quality of life: The aim is to improve overall symptoms, comfort and well-being, 

• Aids in communication: The team can help facilitate difficult conversations between patients, families, and doctors about treatment goals and options. 

• Involves a team approach: A team of specialists, including doctors, nurses, social workers, and others, provides the care. 

• Provides support for caregivers: It also offers practical and emotional support to the family and friends of the patient. 

Not limited to end-of-life care: While it includes end-of-life care, palliative care can start as soon as a serious illness is diagnosed and can be ongoing.