The aim of palliative care is to enhance the quality of life of people with cancer and help them maintain their independence for as long as possible. It also supports carers in their role.
Palliative Care is a comprehensive approach focused on providing patients with relief from distressing symptoms, pain and stress associated with life limiting or serious illness. The goal is to improve or maintain quality of life whilst always respecting individual’s wishes. The service is often mistakenly seen as healthcare that is provided for people who have advanced disease or at the end stage of life, however Palliative Care focuses on the physical, psychological, spiritual and social wellbeing of the patient and their family. Palliative Care teams in major hospitals provide consultancy support to inpatients whilst your friend or family member remains under the care of their primary medical team. Outpatient clinic consultations are also available through public and private hospitals. The Palliative Care service acknowledges that supportive palliative care should be based on patient and family needs rather than life expectancy or prognosis.
What does specialist palliative care cover?
The specialist palliative care interests include the following areas:
- Symptom Management (e.g. pain, nausea, anxiety)
- Patient and family emotional support/counselling
- Symptomatic control in patients receiving active treatment such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy
- Complex discharge planning, regional and community liaison
- Referral to inpatient/palliative care units/hospice
- Bereavement support
A treating Medical Specialist can refer the person with the brain tumour to this service to help with symptom relief or other problems as needed. If this has not been suggested and you think it may be helpful, ask a doctor involved in your friend or family member’s care to consider a Palliative Care referral.
What can palliative care achieve?
- It improves the patient’s symptom control and general wellbeing
- It helps the patient and family come to terms with the changing emphasis of care
- It reduces the number of unnecessary tests and investigations
- It increases patients’ and carers’ satisfaction with the person’s healthcare
- It increases the amount of time patients can spend at home and reduces the time spent in hospital
- It increases a person’s chance of dying in a place they choose (e.g. at home)
Do I have to pay for palliative care?
The Federal, State and Territory Governments fund core palliative services so that they are free in the public health system, whether you receive care at home or in a public setting. However, sometimes you may need to contribute to the costs of care. Some examples are:
- Hiring specialised equipment for use at home
- Paying for your own nursing staff if you elect to stay at home and require 24 hour assistance
- Paying for complementary therapies, such as massage therapy
- Paying an excess if you have health insurance that covers palliative care and you go to a private hospital
Palliative care is tailored to an individual’s situation and involves the coordination of services to meet their medical, emotional, spiritual and social needs. A GP or community health nurse can coordinate palliative care but if the symptoms of the person with cancer become complex or difficult to manage they can be referred to a specialist palliative care team.
You may want to read Cancer Council’s information about advanced cancer and palliative care. For free copies, call the Helpline on 13 11 20 or go to the Palliative care section of the Cancer Council website .