March 2026
The Meaning and Purpose of Palliative Care and Its Importance on Block Island
Palliative care is a specialized form of medical care focused on improving quality of life for people living with serious or chronic illness. Its primary purpose is not to cure disease, but to relieve pain, manage symptoms, reduce stress, and support patients and families emotionally, socially, and spiritually. According to the Rhode Island Department of Health, palliative care can be provided at any stage of a serious illness, alongside curative treatment, and is appropriate for people of all ages. On Block Island, palliative care is a cornerstone of a plan to allow residents to age in place.
At its core, palliative care recognizes that serious and chronic illness affects the whole person, not just the body. Symptoms such as pain, breathlessness, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and difficulty sleeping can greatly diminish a person’s ability to live well. Palliative care teams work collaboratively, often including physicians, nurses, social workers, and behavioral health or spiritual care providers, to address these challenges while helping patients clarify their goals and make informed decisions about their care. Just as importantly, palliative care supports families and caregivers by helping them understand medical options, navigate decisions, and cope with stress and uncertainty.
Decades of research show that palliative care consistently improves quality of life for people with serious illness. Large reviews of clinical trials have found that patients receiving palliative care report less pain and symptom distress, better emotional wellbeing, and higher overall quality of life compared with those receiving usual medical care alone. More recent analyses of high-quality trials have shown similar findings in advanced cancer care, with palliative care associated with both improved quality of life and longer survival in some patient groups. Researchers emphasize that these survival benefits are not universal, but importantly, palliative care does not shorten life and often reduce burdensome, unwanted medical interventions near the end of life. The evidence is clear: palliative care helps people live better, and in some cases, live longer, while honoring individual values and goals.
On Block Island, the importance of palliative care is magnified by geography. With no inpatient hospital and limited access to specialty services, island residents often rely on local care combined with strong coordination to meet complex health needs. Block Island Health Services (BIHS) provides primary care, urgent and emergent services, behavioral health, and referrals to mainland specialists. In addition to these services that are related to home care needs, we also provide access to dental care, physical therapy, podiatry, and lab services. BIHS also plays a crucial role in ensuring that island residents can still receive compassionate, patient-centered care close to home whenever possible.
One of the most meaningful local commitments to palliative and end-of-life care on Block Island is the Livesey Endowment for Palliative & End of Life Care, established through Block Island Health Services. This endowment was created to expand and strengthen palliative and end-of-life care on the island, reflecting a community-driven recognition that comfort, dignity, and emotional support matter deeply at times of serious illness and loss. The endowment supports BIHS’s ability to coordinate care, enhance clinical capacity, and ensure that patients nearing the end of life can remain in a familiar environment whenever feasible.
Palliative care on Block Island is further supported through a partnership with South County Home Health, helping individuals on Block Island to have access to home nursing care, as well as physical and occupational therapy, and social work. This nursing support assists patients and their families to understand the disease process and provides medication education for management of changing symptoms.
Due to the support of the Mary D fund, members of the primary care team at BIHS are available to perform home visits, which helps to monitor changes in the person’s condition and inform day-to-day decision making. Our collaborative care structure improves symptom management, provides caregiver support, and advance care planning. Palliative care can begin early in the course of illness and continue for months or years. On Block Island, this allows residents to receive symptom relief, emotional support, and care coordination well before end-of-life decisions are required.
In our small, close-knit island community, palliative care also serves a broader social purpose. It helps preserve independence, reduces unnecessary hospital transfers, and honors patients’ wishes to remain connected to their homes, families, and community. By integrating local primary care with mainland specialty services and community-supported initiatives like the Livesey Endowment, Block Island demonstrates how palliative care can be adapted to meet the needs of rural and island populations.
Ultimately, the purpose of palliative care on Block Island is to help people live as fully and comfortably as possible in the face of serious illness. It affirms that even when cure is not possible, compassionate care, dignity, and quality of life remain essential to the goal of aging in place.
If you or a loved one is living with a serious illness and could benefit from extra support, palliative care may be an option worth exploring. Block Island residents can start by speaking with their primary care provider at Block Island Health Services, who can help assess needs, answer questions, and coordinate care locally. Requesting a palliative care consult does not mean giving up treatment; it means adding comfort, clarity, and support to care, right here at home.
Laurie Anderson, APRN-C, CDOE
