Tender LOVING CARE

PALLIATIVE CARE IS A MYSTERIOUS TOPIC – BUT IT NEEDN’T BE

Palliative care doesn’t tend to be discussed much because it’s associated with dying. But it can make a huge difference to people living with a serious illness, so it’s important to understand what is involved. Here’s all that you need to know.

THE MYTH: Being referred for palliative care means your doctor has given up on you.

THE TRUTH: Good doctors never give up on patients. However, sometimes diseases get to the stage where they can’t be cured, so the treatment offered from this point is to make sure the patient has the best care, is as comfortable as possible and is able live life as fully as they can. THE MYTH: Palliative care is only for those who have cancer.

THE TRUTH: Palliative care is available to people with a range of life-limiting illnesses, not just cancer patients. These include people with conditions like heart, liver and renal failure, chronic respiratory disease and neurological conditions, such as motor neurone disease. It’s there for people of all ages and aims to give them the best possible quality of life by addressing their psychological, spiritual and cultural needs – as well as their physical ones.

THE MYTH: You need to go to a hospice to get palliative care.

THE TRUTH: While a lot of palliative care services are delivered to patients in hospices, you don’t have to be an inpatient in one to receive help – you can get it wherever you are. A palliative care team – which can include nurses, doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers – will visit people in hospitals, rest homes and private homes. THE MYTH: You only have palliative care when you are fast approaching death. THE TRUTH: Palliative care is available to you as soon as you are diagnosed with a terminal illness and staff can help you with every stage of that condition – from keeping pain under control, through to making you as comfortable as possible at home. Research shows that people who visit a palliative services team soon after being diagnosed with a terminal illness often cope better when their health later begins deteriorating, than those who wait until things get worse. Studies have also found that when people with advanced cancer receive palliative care alongside cancer therapies, they have a better quality of life and live longer.

THE MYTH: Palliative care only helps the patient.

THE TRUTH: It also assists the patient’s family. Palliative care equips your family and caregivers to support you, while making sure they are okay. For example, palliative care staff will make sure anyone caring for a terminally ill person at home knows how to help with things such as pain relief and will also check how they are dealing with their stress. Assistance is also available to the family after the death of the patient. THE MYTH: Palliative care is funded by the government. THE TRUTH: Palliative care, which is free to patients and

their families, was estimated to cost $100m in 2017. Just over half of that money came from the government, but the $45m shortfall had to be made up from community fundraising and donations. THE MYTH: Once you go into a hospice, you’re not likely to come out again.

THE TRUTH: Many people go into a hospice for a few days at a time to get pain medication sorted out or to have treatment for their symptoms. They may also spend time in a hospice to give caregivers some respite. Once they return home, care can continue there.