Healthy Aging - To the End of the Road: Relevance of Palliative Care in Elder Care | M. R. Rajagopal

What does healthy aging mean when cure is no longer possible and suffering becomes the dominant reality of life?

In this deeply moving keynote, Dr. M. R. Rajagopal, Founder Chairman of Pallium India, challenges the way modern medicine approaches aging, illness, and the end of life, urging a shift from organ-centered treatment to care that recognizes the human being who suffers.

Reflecting on the reality that nearly 85–90% of people will experience a prolonged period of illness before death, he speaks about how advances in medical science have often narrowed their focus to biology and chemistry, while neglecting physical comfort, mental well-being, social connection, and dignity.

The talk expands the understanding of palliative care beyond end-of-life or cancer care, framing it instead as care for serious health-related suffering at any stage of illness. He also addresses the hidden harms of aggressive medicalization, unnecessary ICU care, catastrophic health expenditure, and the often invisible burden carried by caregivers. Touching on the global fears around opioid use, he offers a nuanced perspective on balance, responsible prescribing, and the ethical failure of denying pain relief due to misplaced fear.

Throughout the talk, he reminds us that medicine’s duty is not only to cure, but to relieve suffering and to comfort, always.

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