Palliative care has a bad reputation, and it stems from the origin of its name. The term comes from the Latin word “cloak”, referring to palliative care’s ability to cloak symptoms. Unfortunately, the word cloak was used centuries ago and, in some cases, is still used for explaining how a person’s body, upon death, is shrouded—covered and wrapped in cloth.
This has resulted in palliative care being associated with death and severe symptoms for centuries.
