Palliative care focuses on relieving the symptoms and stress of a serious illness and can begin at any stage, alongside treatment intended to cure the illness. Hospice is for people nearing the end of life and generally requires certification that they have six months or less to live if the illness follows its normal course. In hospice, treatment intended to cure the terminal illness is stopped in favor of comfort-focused care. All hospice care is palliative, but not all palliative care is hospice.