Palliative care is a care system provided for Australians of all ages. It’s not something reserved for seniors only or for people with a specific condition. The only real requirement for receiving palliative care is to be living with a life-limiting illness or condition. For example, people with terminal cancer are eligible for palliative care.
When it comes to receiving palliative care, individuals can have the care administered in their own home, a hospital, a nursing home or hospice. The care is not only designed to assist those living with a life-limiting condition, but also to provide help and support to family members and loved ones.
For information on receiving palliative care, search online for a service in your area. “Palliative care Sydney” is an example of what to search for.
Now that we have defined what palliative care is, let’s now take a closer look at the three main goals of palliative care and why this service is so vital for Australians.
#1 – Providing Clinical Care and the Management Of Symptoms
Individuals who are living with a terminal illness or condition, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, cancer, heart disease and other conditions will invariably have symptoms that need to be regularly managed in order to provide as much comfort for the individual as possible.
Whether palliative care is taking place in a clinical environment or within the person’s own home, professional care services provided by highly-trained and experienced nurses and carers will help the client manage their symptoms. This assistance may be in the form of pain medication or physical assistance in other areas that make the individual feel more comfortable and at ease while going through the different stages of their condition.
Even if the individual is currently receiving care from a doctor, they are still eligible for palliative care services. These services will work in conjunction with the care the doctor is providing.
Palliative care is holistic in nature and can cover a broad spectrum of services, depending on individual requirements.
#2 – To Improve the Quality Of Life
Aside from clinical care and the management of symptoms, one of the main goals of palliative care, especially in-home palliative care, is to improve the quality of life of the client. This care also encompasses providing a higher quality of life for loved ones and family members who also reside in the home. A life-limiting condition affects those closest to the client as well.
Rather than someone spending what time they have left laid up in a hospital bed or a hospice somewhere, with in-home palliative care services, the individual (and their loved ones) get to spend their time in comfortable and familiar surroundings; surroundings that are not clinical or perhaps even a little scary. Clients can immerse themselves in surroundings they enjoy, using the furniture they are accustomed to, having access to their possessions, and being able to use a bathroom that has privacy and is their own.
An improved quality of life not only helps the individual and loved ones feel more at ease, but in some cases, it can even help to extend the life of someone living with a terminal illness. It’s about maintaining a life that is enjoyed as much as possible rather than simply being endured.
#3 – Person-Centred Care With Services Tailored To Meet Individual Needs
The first two points are extremely important but there is something else worth noting when it comes to effective palliative care. In order to achieve the first two objectives (in particular, point number two), palliative care planning needs to be person-centred and tailored to meet the individual requirements, needs and wishes of the client.
Symptom management and other forms of clinical care are worked out for each individual case and the client’s wishes are taken into account to ensure a higher standard and quality of life are achieved. This would be impossible to do with a rigid blanket approach to palliative care. It needs to be personalised to achieve the desired outcomes for all concerned.
The Wrap
As you can see, palliative care plays a pivotal role in the lives of those affected by a terminal condition. It’s all about a client receiving the care they need, while at the same time, being as comfortable and content as possible.
