Palliative Care
What is palliative care?
Palliative care helps people with life-limiting illnesses to live their lives as fully and as comfortably as possible. Palliative care treats symptoms, which may be physical, emotional, spiritual, and/or social. Life-limiting illnesses can affect people at any age, so palliative care is available to anyone with a life-limiting illness.
What is a life-limiting illness?
Life-limiting illnesses can’t be cured and it is an illness someone is likely to die from. These can include:
- cancer
- blood and bone marrow disorders
- heart disease
- cystic fibrosis
- dementia
- end-stage liver cancer
- kidney failure
Where is palliative care provided?
Palliative care is flexible and, where possible, is provided where the person with the life-limiting illness would like to be cared for. There are palliative care services offered across our region, and can be provided:
- at home
- on Country
- in a hospital
- in a residential aged care home
How can I access palliative care services?
Often, your GP or the Palliative Care Team at the hospital will suggest you could benefit from palliative care services. Please ask your GP or your local palliative care volunteer service for more information if you have any questions.
More information and resouces
Advanced care planning is an important part of palliative care. Visit the webpage to know more about this.
Our My Health Connector website is an online directory for health service providers, support groups, and other community organisations across who provide services across our region.
The Department of Health and Aged Care , NBM Local Health Disctrict have information on their websites about palliative care.
Palliative Care Australia has information for patients and carers on their website. They have also developed a short video explaining that palliative care is ‘more than what you think’.
