What is Palliative Care?
Palliative Care is a multi-disciplinary holistic concept of care for people living with an advanced, progressive potentially terminal illness. The aim of palliative care is to improve quality of life by providing physical, psychological and spiritual support for patients, their carers and their families.
Palliative care can support patients with a variety of illnesses including:
- cancer
- organ failure (cardiac failure, renal failure, liver failure, respiratory failure)
- neurological conditions eg. life threatening stroke, motor neurone disease, dementia
Palliative Care should be available in:
- the person’s own home
- hospital
- palliative care inpatient unit
- residential care (or nursing home)
Palliative services care work closely with other specialist carers and can be provided even if patients are having active treatment such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, dialysis etc.
Peninsula Health provides specialist palliative care through the Palliative Care Consultancy Service and the Peninsula Palliative Care Unit.
Peninsula Health palliative care services work very closely with Peninsula Hospice Service who provide specialist palliative care in the patient’s own home.
Useful links:
Peninsula Hospice Service
Cancer Council Victoria
Palliative Care Victoria
Palliative Care Australia
