There was a fine article on palliative care in the Sunay Review of the NY Times, September 7, 2014. Entitled "When It’s the Doctor Who Can’t Let Go" this is a good introduction to the field of palliative care and, as such, will be of help to physiaians and other health care professionals as well as to patients and their families.
"Palliative care itself suffers from an identity problem, in that many people equate palliation with hospice — i.e., end of life. This mistaken association can make a palliative care consultation feel like a death sentence to even the most open-minded clinicians, patients and family members. Striving for a cure is historically seen as a unique pathway that restores health; easing suffering is a separate, non-curative path that ends with the patient dying."