When someone you love is dealing with serious health issues or repeated hospital visits, it can feel like you’re constantly bracing for the next crisis. In those moments, it’s hard to step back and think about what your loved one truly wants, needs, and what would support their quality of life. Yet for many families, conversations about palliative care and advance care planning happen too late – or are misunderstood as “the end,” rather than tools that help people live as fully and comfortably as possible for as long as possible. We spoke with Anthony L. Back, MD, a national leader in patient-oncologist communication, about what palliative care really means versus hospice, common myths about palliative care, how culture and lived experiences shape these conversations, and how families can begin important discussions about advance care planning.

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