pal·li·ate

1 : to reduce the violence of (a disease); also : to ease (symptoms) without curing the underlying disease

2 : to cover by excuses and apologies

3 : to moderate the intensity of palliate

the boredom>

Examples of PALLIATE

1. treatments that can palliate the painful symptoms of the disease
2. palliate

your constant lying by claiming that everybody lies>

Origin of PALLIATE

Middle English, from Late Latin palliatus, past participle of palliare to cloak, conceal, from Latin pallium cloak

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palliate

The process of palliative care is beginning for my father. Last time he was in hospital one of the doctors used the sentence "and if his condition worsens we will begin to palliate".

I had never heard it used as a verb before, the verb 'to palliate'.

What does that actually mean? These definitions don't cover my perception of its meaning. They don't say it out loud.

Does it mean making him comfortable as he slowly disappears,  as that grip on my hand slowly weakens and slips my grasp?

Does it mean cloaking and concealing the final stages of this long drawn out disease, which has locked and isolated my father in his body, losing one stage of function at a time, step by step, word by word over 13 years. This disease that has reduced him, physically, but made us blow up the memory of him to 'larger than life'.

There is  no cloaking, no concealing the outcome of this palliation.
We don't know how much longer we have with our father, maybe weeks? Maybe.

All we can do now is hold his hand to keep him company, as Mum and the carers make him comfortable.

We wait. 

We palliate.