Did you know?
T he definition palliative care as described by the New Zealand Ministry of Health is care for people of all ages with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition. Palliative care aims to:
• Optimise an individual’s quality of life until death by addressing the person’s physical, psychosocial, spiritual and cultural needs. • Support the individual’s family and whanau, and other caregivers where needed, through the illness and after death. Patients transition to palliative care at the time they are told they have a life-limiting condition.
They receive palliative care according to their individual need. It may be suitable whether death is days, weeks, months or occasionally even years away. It may be suitable sometimes when people are getting treatments aimed at increasing their quantity of life. Important features of palliative care are that it should be: • Available wherever the person lives.
• Provided by all healthcare professionals, supported where necessary by specialist palliative care services. • Provided in a way that meets the needs of individuals from particular communities or groups. This includes but is not limited to Maori, children and young people, immigrants, those with intellectual disability, refugees, prisoners, the homeless and those in isolated communities (Palliative Care Subcommittee NZ Cancer Treatment Working Party 2007). The Adult Palliative Care Review, released in March, has identified five areas where improvements can be made to support and strengthen the provision of palliative care services, and ensure they are coordinated and responsive to people’s needs and circumstances. The five areas focus on the need to:
• Increase the emphasis on primary palliative care. • Improve quality in all settings. • Respond to the voices of individuals and their families/whanau.
• Grow the capability of communities and informal carers.
• Ensure strong and strategic connections.
Useful resources
• Ministry of Health health.govt.nz
• Hospice hospice.org.nz/ resources/ a-guide-for-carers
• Needs Assessment Service nznasca.co.nz
• Carers NZ carers.net.nz
• Age Concern ageconcern.org.nz
• Eldernet eldernet.co.nz
• Seniors Online seniorline.org.nz
• Home and Community Health Association hcha.org.nz