For patients with a life limiting illness, much of the care usually occurs at home, and is provided by a network of carers, family and health professionals.
The Palliative Care Service provides a system of care which aims to relieve the physical symptoms of the illness, provide care and support to help relieve other issues which may arise, and to support the patient’s carers and family.
To do this, care and support:
- Is offered to the patient, their carers and family;
- Focuses on the quality of a patient’s living and dying by preventing and relieving suffering;
- Includes emotional, spiritual and cultural aspects;
- Uses a variety of health professionals in coordinated teams; and
- Is provided in the patient’s place of choice where possible.
There are a number of resources available to assist patients, carers and families in managing a person's care including:
- A number of fact sheets for common symptoms and issues - which can ve viewed by clicking on this link
- The CareSearch palliative care knowledge network is an online resource consolidating evidence-based and quality information for various groups within the palliative care community. The website, which has been funded by the Australian Government as part of the National Palliative Care Program, has a caring resources page with useful links to further information. A link to CareSearch and other useful resources can be found by clicking on this link