Translation guide
Medical and emotional support for people in the final phase of a terminal illness, focusing on comfort and quality of life.
The overall concept of care for terminally ill patients, often in a medical context.
The most direct and common translation, used in medical and caregiving settings.
We need to improve the quality of terminal care.
Loanword from English, widely understood but slightly less common than 終末期ケア in formal writing.
This hospital puts effort into terminal care.
Care focused on relieving symptoms and improving quality of life, often overlapping with terminal care.
Palliative care; emphasizes symptom relief and comfort, not limited to the very end of life but commonly used in terminal contexts.
He spent his final days in a palliative care ward.
Hospice care; specifically for terminally ill patients, often in a dedicated facility.
She transferred to another hospital to receive hospice care.
Care provided during the final days or hours, emphasizing dignity and comfort.
The act of caring for a dying person, often used by family or nurses; implies being present and providing comfort until the end.
The family took care of grandmother in her final days.
Literally 'care at the very end'; straightforward but less common as a set phrase.
We discussed end-of-life care.
終末期ケア (terminal care) is the broadest term for care at the end of life. 緩和ケア (palliative care) focuses on symptom relief and can be provided earlier in the disease trajectory. ホスピスケア (hospice care) is specifically for terminally ill patients, often in a dedicated facility, and emphasizes comfort rather than curative treatment.
In Japan, discussing death openly can be sensitive. Terms like 看取り carry a sense of warmth and familial duty, while clinical terms like 終末期ケア are used in medical settings. Choose based on context and relationship.