Book excerpt: This issue of Clinics in Geriatric Medicine is devoted to Palliative Care. Guest Editors Thomas Smith, MD and Madeline Leong, MD have assembled a group of expert authors to review the following topics: Palliative Care in the Era of Healthcare Redesign; Communications to Patients; Communications by Professionals; International Palliative Care; Public Health and Palliative Care; Culturally Relevant Palliative Care; Spirituality, Religion, and Healing in Palliative Care; Alternative, Complementary and Mainstream Therapies in Palliative Care; Symptom Management in the Older Adult; Interaction of Palliative Care and Primary Care; Palliative Care in the Ambulatory Geriatric Practice; Choosing Cancer Therapy Based on Geriatric Assessment; and Emergency Medicine and Palliative Care.