What does placed in palliative care mean?

End of life care: Palliative care deals with comforting patients at the end of life period. When a disease is in advanced stage and can't be cured or even temporally stopped, all efforts are devoted to help with quality of life in this period: pain control, sleep, spiritual help, etc.

Broader definition: The goal of palliative care is to maintain quality of life for those with chronic illness. It can be started at diagnosis and be provided while curative treatment is being provided as well. Hospice care, on the other hand, is provided at the end of life when cure is no longer possible. So don't panic if you have been referred for palliative care; ask your doctor why he/she referred you!