Palliative care plays a vital role at the end of life for many Australians. Yet many of us are not sure what it is.
From the time of diagnosis, palliative care helps people of all ages with a life-limiting illness live their life fully and comfortably. A life-limiting illness is one that is likely to cause death in the foreseeable future. This includes:
- Cancer
- Neurological disease
- Dementia
- Advanced kidney, heart, liver, and lung disease
Palliative care addresses physical symptoms as well as emotional, social, and spiritual concerns.
The primary goals of palliative care are to control symptoms, maximise function, maintain quality of life and provide comfort.
Through palliative care, family, friends and carers can also receive practical and emotional support in their caring role and in grief and bereavement.
When can I access palliative care?
Palliative care is not just for the last days or weeks of life. It can be provided at any time in your illness depending on your needs. Palliative care can be provided from the time of diagnosis alongside active treatment for your illness and focuses on improving symptom control, quality of life, and family satisfaction.
Who provides palliative care?
Palliative care is provided by many kinds of healthcare professionals and can be provided in the community, a home, hospital, aged care facility, or other healthcare facility.
In a hospital setting it is provided by doctors, palliative specialists, nurses and allied health professionals.
In the community the palliative care team might include your general practitioner, community and aged care nurses, visiting allied health professionals, care workers and support workers. Family, friends, and neighbours may also provide care and support.
Specialist palliative care teams work in a consultative role with general practitioners and other health care providers when patient’s needs cannot be met exclusively by primary care teams.
In South Australia, a person may be eligible for referral to specialist palliative care services if:
- they have a progressive, life limiting illness
- they or their decision maker, is aware of, understands and has agreed to a palliative care referral.
Referrals can be made by medical practitioners, other health professionals and the individual or family members/carer. Referrals for people in the community (that is, home or residential care), or people requiring an outpatient clinic appointment, can be made by faxing a completed Palliative Care Referral form (PDF 584KB) to your local palliative care service.
What does palliative care cost?
It is important to find out as soon as possible who pays for what and where to find help with palliative care costs. Most costs are normally covered by Medicare. Private health insurance may also be an option. However, this may not always be the case. You can ask your doctor and health care team. Find out more about the costs of palliative care.
Finding and sharing information
The CareSearch project has a range of palliative care resources for patients, carers and families. CareSearch is funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care to provide trustworthy palliative care resources. You can download some factsheets to read later or to share with friends and family.
The Diversity section also has links to resources for people from different backgrounds and with different life experiences.
Palliative Care SA has useful information and resources for families and carers who are caring for a person with a life-limiting illness or condition. You can download or order a copy of their booklet, Palliative Caring.