In short
Comfort care is care whose goal is relief rather than cure: easing pain, breathing trouble, nausea, anxiety and other distress, and supporting the person's emotional and spiritual needs. Medicare uses the term for the palliative care at the heart of hospice. It can be given at home, in a facility or in a hospital.
What comfort care usually includes
The National Institute on Aging groups end-of-life comfort into physical, mental and emotional, and spiritual needs. In practice that often means:
- Pain and symptom control, with medicine timed to stay ahead of pain
- Breathing support, such as raising the head of the bed, a fan or medicine for breathlessness
- Skin and mouth care, gentle repositioning and moistening dry lips and mouth
- Temperature comfort, blankets or a cool cloth, without electric blankets
- Emotional support for fear, sadness or restlessness, for the person and the family
- Spiritual care, if the person wants it
Comfort care, palliative care and hospice
The three terms overlap. Medicare's hospice booklet describes the focus of hospice as comfort (palliative care), not curing an illness. Palliative care is the wider field, and it can start much earlier, alongside treatment. Comfort care is the everyday language many hospitals use for the same goal near the end of life.
Questions to ask when a doctor recommends comfort care
Questions about comfort care
Questions families ask
Does comfort care mean stopping food and water?
Not automatically. Near the end of life many people eat and drink much less, and trouble swallowing is common. Ask the care team what to offer and how to keep your parent's mouth comfortable.
Is comfort care the same as hospice?
Comfort care is the goal; hospice is a program and a Medicare benefit built around it. A person can receive comfort-focused care in the hospital without being enrolled in hospice.
Can comfort care happen at home?
Yes. Hospice usually provides it at home, and NIA notes that visiting nurses and equipment such as a hospital bed can be arranged.
Does comfort care speed up death?
Comfort care aims to relieve suffering, not to shorten or extend life. Ask the doctor to explain any medicine you are worried about.