This reflective essay explores my experience as a nonmedical volunteer at a palliative care centre, in Elamkulam Panchayat, in the Malappuram district of Kerala for two weeks in October 2023 as a master’s student of Medical Humanities. It examines how palliative care functions in a community setting, addressing the needs of terminally ill patients. Through direct observations and interactions, I reflect how the decentralised, interdisciplinary and flexible nature of palliative care service transcends some limitations of modern clinical medicine, offering a holistic approach that embraces individual subjectivity, challenges hierarchical structures, and fosters a profound, compassionate connection with patients