Palliative care

Palliative care is a type of specialised medical care for people living with serious, chronic, life-limiting or terminal illness. It helps focus on improving quality of life. It also supports families and carers.

Palliative care is not just for people at the end of life. It can start at any time from the moment someone is diagnosed with a long-term illness, such as:

• cancer
• motor neurone disease
• advanced kidney disease or liver disease
• dementia
• Parkinson's disease

You can have palliative care alongside active treatment. Palliative care is for people of any age, including children.

Is palliative care the same as hospice care?

Hospice care is a type of palliative care that's usually given in the last months of life. Palliative care can begin much earlier, for example, soon after diagnosis with a life-limiting illness.

Is palliative care the same as end-of-life care?

End-of-life care is a type of palliative care but it focuses on the final phase of life. This is often the last year. It helps people live as comfortably and peacefully as possible.

Palliative care may vary from person to person. It may:

• ease symptoms, such as pain, breathlessness or sadness
• support emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing
• help people and families make care decisions
• help make plans for future care, including end-of-life choices
• support families and carers, check how they're coping and offer grief support
• provide medical counselling and education

Palliative care is given by a team of health professionals, called a multidisciplinary team. This team may include:

• your own doctor (GP) — they often lead the care team, and manage your care at home
• palliative care specialists — such as doctors and nurses with training in end-of-life care
• allied health professionals — such as social workers
• mental health professionals — such as psychologists
• other health professionals — such as massage therapists

Palliative care is usually provided together with support from family and friends.

You can have palliative care in a range of settings depending on your needs, preferences and health condition. You may have it in:

• your own home
• hospital
• a hospice or palliative care unit
• a residential care home

Your doctor, community health centre or local health department can give you more information and advice. Your support needs may change over time and can also include help for your family or carers.

You can choose the care that suits your needs, values and goals. Here are some questions to think about when you choose palliative care:

• Where would you like to receive palliative care? You can often choose where you get palliative care, depending on your needs, the services in your region and what support is available.
• What kind of support do you want? Your care can respect your values, beliefs and background.
• Who do you want involved in your care? This may include your family doctor, specialists, counsellors and close family and friends.
• How involved do you want to be in decisions? You can make a care plan that outlines your wishes. You can also choose someone you trust to make decisions for you if you become too unwell.

It is a good idea to discuss your expectations, wishes and values with your doctor and loved ones. This can help your family, friends and doctors understand what you want if you're ever unable to express your wishes.

Caring for someone can mean different things. You might:

• help with shopping, cooking or transport
• give emotional support
• manage medicines or appointments
• help with personal care, such as showering or massage

Caring can be rewarding, but it can also be tiring and overwhelming. It's important to look after your own health and wellbeing too.

Support for carers

Support for carers may include:

• information and advice — your doctor or palliative care team can explain what to expect and how to help
• training — some services offer training in how to care for someone at home
• emotional support — you can talk to a counsellor or join a carer support group
• respite care — this gives you a break while someone else cares for the person

Learn more about palliative care:

• Visit Palliative Care Australia (Opens in new tab) for general information and support.
• For children and families, visit Paediatric Palliative Care (Opens in new tab).
• The PalliAGED website (Opens in new tab) has information for families and carers on palliative and end of life care and services for older Australians.

For local services:

• Use the Palliative Care Australia directory (Opens in new tab) to find specialist and palliative care services in your area.
• CareSearch (Opens in new tab) has a range of resources to support you if you're receiving palliative care and for your carer. This includes information on life-limiting illnesses, care at end of life, and state, territory (Opens in new tab) and national (Opens in new tab)
• CareSearch also offers disease-specific (Opens in new tab)

Support for carers:

• Visit Carer Gateway (Opens in new tab) for practical tips, services and support.
• Learn about support available in your state or territory through Carers Australia (Opens in new tab).

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Languages other than English

Visit the CareSearch website for links to palliative care and end-of-life information in different community languages (Opens in new tab).

Information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

Read Caring for your mob at the end of their life — a brochure by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (Opens in new tab).

Visit Palliative Care Australia for resources for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people (Opens in new tab).

Advance Care Planning Australia (Opens in new tab) has support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.