Palliative Care is not only aimed at people who are in a situation of imminent death, but can be
understood as assistance in the face of an incurable disease that threatens life, being a
humanitarian, empathetic and effective practice in caring for others through prevention and the
alleviation of physical, psychological, social and spiritual suffering. Our research objective is
to investigate how existential psychology has collaborated to palliative care for people with
terminal illness and the care of their families in the Unified Health System. narrative review. In
our analysis, we take as a basis the works of Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), Jean-Paul Sartre
(1905-1980) and their interpreters, as well as authors who discuss the theme of palliative care
and the historical process until its proposition. an important bibliographic reference is the works
of the physician, nurse and palliative social worker Cicely Saunders. Once the bibliographic
research is finished, we conclude that the contributions of the existentialist approach to people
in palliative care and in welcoming family members brings relief, autonomy, freedom and
understanding of their situation of being-in-the-world. Through this work, it was possible to
locate the scarcity of public policies in the Unified Health System aimed at palliative care
practices for people with incurable illness. There is a legal provision for its practice, but it is
essential that the population is more informed about this legal support and about its benefits to
everyone who may need it. Our defense is also for palliative care outside the hospital context,
that is, within the family and community, being another action of the Family Health Strategy
Program. We hope that our research will encourage the reader to reflect on their own existence,
what is in fact valuable to them and the true meaning of their lives.
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