Palliative Care aims to achieve the best possible quality of life for patients, their carers and families when their illness or disease is not responsive to curative treatment. It aims to ease the pain, distress and any other physical, emotional and spiritual problems that can affect people at any time. It may also apply earlier in the course of an illness that is not necessarily limited to cancer. Importantly it also involves family and friends, and helps support them during and after death.
It complements the range of medical treatments and services that patients may already be having, and can be applicable even in the early stages of an illness. Palliative care is for cancer and non-cancer illnesses (such as MND, Heart failure, lung disease).
Palliative care services are committed to caring for everyone, regardless of their race, culture, background, religion or belief system.
Palliative care can be provided in the person's own home, at a specialist inpatient hospice unit, or at another health facility, depending on where the person lives and where they choose to die.
Palliative care offers a range of services to the person and their family.
This includes:
- Nursing
- Day care
- Diet advice
- Loan of equipment
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational therapy
- Pastoral care
- Counselling
- Social worker services
- Spiritual support
- Bereavement support
- Support from trained volunteers.
It is important to raise awareness of Palliative Care and the importance of early referral to services and to ensure that anyone who is ill or caring for someone who is ill, knows where to go if they should need help and support. They don’t have to do it alone!!