Palliative care what is

It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment. Learn more: Patients Tell Their Stories. Palliative care specialists improve quality of life for the patients whose needs are most complex.

Working in partnership with the primary physician, the palliative care team provides:. Numerous studies show that palliative care significantly improves patient quality of life and lowers symptom burden.

Apart from being the right thing to do for patients, this improved quality of life also means that an encounter with the health care system is less stressful and traumatic for families. Studies consistently show improvements in both quality measures and resource utilization once palliative care is introduced.

An example is the care you get from your GP or community nurses. Some people need additional specialist palliative care. This may be provided by consultants trained in palliative medicine, specialist palliative care nurses, or specialist occupational therapists or physiotherapists.

Palliative care teams are made up of different healthcare professionals and can co-ordinate the care of people with an incurable illness. As specialists, they also advise other professionals on palliative care.

People in lots of different situations can benefit from end of life care. Some of them may be expected to die within the next few hours or days. Others receive end of life care over many months. People are considered to be approaching the end of life when they are likely to die within the next 12 months, although this is not always possible to predict. This includes people whose death is imminent, as well as people who:. This guidance covers how to manage common symptoms, as well as dignity and respect for the dying person, their relatives and carers.

If you are approaching the end of life, or caring for someone who is, and you want to find out about the care and support available, your first step is to speak to your GP or to call the number your healthcare professionals have given you. Part of their job is to help you understand which services are available locally.

You can ask about all sorts of help — for instance, there may be particular night-time services they can tell you about. You can also search for specific types of care services near you. In this end of life care guide, "end of life care" also covers legal issues to help you plan ahead for your future care. Palliative care is provided where the person and their family wants, where possible. This may include:. Many people indicate a preference to die at home and making this possible often depends on several factors, including:.

For more information contact the palliative care peak body in your state. There are a lot of common misconceptions about palliative care. Answers to some of the more frequently asked questions can be found in our FAQs here. Multilingual fact sheet and resources in languages other than English. Find a service provider Register your service. Print this page What is palliative care? What is palliative care?

Because palliative care is based on individual needs, the services offered will differ but may include: Relief of pain and other symptoms e.