For a long time, it has been misunderstood that palliative care is tailor-made for cancer patients and patients at the end of life. Dr. John Weru, consultant physician for palliative medicine at the Aga Khan University Hospital, offers some insight into it. He says that palliative care aims to improve and maintain a patient’s quality of life so that they can live as actively as possible as they experience an illness. As such, the patient and family form the central unit of focus in palliative care. The palliative care team includes, among others, doctors, nurses, social workers, counselling psychologists, dietitians, and volunteers. Depending on their circumstances, a person may access palliative care for years, months, weeks, or days.