Benefits of palliative care for caregivers

When you’re caring for a loved one with a serious illness, it can feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. You’re not alone. The need for comprehensive caregiver support is growing in the United States. According to the Caregiving in the U.S. (CGUS) study , a joint project of the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, the number of family caregivers has increased 45% since 2015. The same study also found:

• One-third of family caregivers are under 50 years old.
• 61% of family caregivers say caregiving impacts their work life.
• 47% of family caregivers report financial impact.

Palliative care is a powerful resource that can help caregivers find relief. While we often think of this care as being for those with the illness, these services also ease the emotional, physical, and logistical demands of caregiving, ensuring caregivers feel supported, informed, and empowered. Danielle J. Godinez, DO, CMD, HMDBC, lead physician at Carelon Health's Palliative Care, shares how.

Access to expert information

When a loved one receives palliative care, caregivers are educated about the condition, treatment options, and purpose of prescribed medications. Palliative care education for families includes guidance on pain management and symptom relief strategies, allowing caregivers to better understand what is being prescribed, why it is needed, and how they can assist in offering comfort at home. “Understanding the why,” Dr. Godinez explains, “empowers caregivers to become active partners. The caregiver will experience less doubt and guilt if they understand symptom management,” she continues. “When they have the right tools and see symptoms respond to their care, it reinforces their purpose.”
 

The power of emotional support for caregivers

The same study shows that the emotional toll of caregiving is high. For example, one-fourth of caregivers say they feel isolated, and two-thirds report moderate to high emotional stress. “Emotional resiliency can be depleted quickly,” shares Dr. Godinez. “Caregivers need to find ways to refill their emotional bucket when it’s empty.” Ongoing emotional support and counseling from advanced practice providers who improve palliative care services, for instance, allows caregivers to sustain their role over time. They help them process stress, grief, and uncertainty. This support fosters resilience and prevents caregiver burnout, enabling them to sustain their role over time.

Emotional needs of the patient are also directly addressed through palliative care services. Caregivers often feel solely responsible for lifting their loved one’s spirits. Knowing that both patient and caregiver have a care team eases the load. “This is the holistic, whole-person, human-centric aspect that makes palliative medicine unique,” says Dr. Godinez. “If the patient or the caregiver is emotionally broken, the body will not fully heal or function to its best possible capacity.”
 

24/7 access to medical guidance and advice

Serious illness needs care and support around the clock. Having access to medical guidance and advice no matter the hour can make caring for that loved one a little easier. Carelon Palliative Care, for example, has a dedicated phone line available around the clock as a palliative care resource for families. Offering 24/7 support for caregivers, it connects caregivers to doctors for urgent questions or concerns about the patient’s condition. This immediate access to expert advice reduces anxiety and ensures caregivers can act quickly when new symptoms or complications arise. “In addition to the emotional support, having a phone ‘lifeline’ for unexpected situations can prevent unnecessary hospital trips,” Dr. Godinez emphasizes. “Ambulance transport is expensive and physically taxing for both patient and caregiver.”
 

Streamlined care coordination

“Caregivers shouldn’t have to serve only as the ‘middleman’ between doctors,” Dr. Godinez explains. “Streamlined coordination allows caregivers to focus more on simply caring for their loved one,” she adds, “as well as their own health, which often gets pushed aside.” Palliative care teams coordinate among the patient’s doctors and specialists, advocating for the patient and ensuring consistent, cohesive care. For caregivers, this means fewer administrative burdens, less confusion about treatment plans, and more confidence that their loved one is receiving comprehensive attention.

At Carelon Palliative Care, for instance, advanced practice providers (APPs) — including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and clinical nurse specialists — serve as the central point of communication and coordination within the palliative care team. They assess and manage physical symptoms, provide emotional and psychological support, facilitate advance care planning, and coordinate with other healthcare professionals to ensure each patient’s needs and values guide their treatment. Acting as both clinicians and advocates, APPs help patients and caregivers navigate complex healthcare decisions, improve quality of life, and ensure care aligns with personal wishes.
 

Advance care planning

Advance care directives and planning are an important part of palliative care. Caregivers are supported in these discussions about their loved one’s future care wishes. This proactive approach helps reduce uncertainty and conflict, ensuring the patient’s values and preferences are respected. Having these conversations thoughtfully and purposely ahead of time is important for any family. Diverse family structures in palliative care can especially benefit from this guidance, as wishes may vary among family members. “No decisions are good decisions when made in crisis mode,” Dr. Godinez adds. “Having thoughtful conversations early ensures that the right choices are made when emotions are running high.”
 

Learn what to expect from Carelon Palliative Care

By supporting both patient and caregiver, palliative care improves quality of life, fosters emotional resilience, and helps families navigate serious illness with confidence and compassion. Carelon Palliative Care is here to do just that. Learn what to expect.