This textbook on palliative social work is a companion volume to the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine and the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Nursing. To that end, this chapter will accomplish the following:

♦Palliative care usually begins for patients with organ failure or neurological illness at the end of life.

♦Unique challenges exist for patients and caregivers due to the progressive nature of these illnesses and the impact on physical, emotional, and cognitive functioning.

♦Palliative social workers can play a key role beginning at time of diagnosis and through the end of life for patients and families dealing with these chronic, progressive disorders.

♦Specific interventions can enhance outcomes for patients, families, and caregivers living with the uncertainty of progressive, incurable illness.