Palliative care is the specialised healthcare for people with life-limiting illnesses. Palliative Care Advice Service can be provided in a hospice, at home or in hospital and includes practical, emotional and spiritual support to help manage pain and other symptoms.
What are the different types of palliative care services?
There are three main types of palliative care services:
- Home palliative care services. These provide a range of support for people with life-limiting illnesses and their families, including practical help and emotional support in the home. They also offer advice on how to manage symptoms, as well as support with pain relief, nutrition and other medical needs.
- Specialist palliative care units (SPUs). These are places where you can go when you need extra help in your last weeks or months of life. They're staffed by doctors, nurses and specialist healthcare professionals who work together to make sure that patients get what they need. They also provide bereavement support for families after someone has died from their illness or injury.
- Palliative advice services (PASS). PASS teams give advice to healthcare professionals about how best to manage patients' symptoms so that they can have a better quality of life at whatever stage they're at in their illness – whether it's early on or nearing the end
Which types of palliative care services are right for me?
Palliative care is a form of medical care for people with serious illnesses, such as cancer. It involves treating the symptoms of your illness, relieving pain and improving quality of life.
There are many different types of palliative care services available. The most common ones include: home palliative care (also known as hospice), general hospital inpatient specialist palliative care units, outpatient specialist palliative care teams, community-based day centres and early referal to specialist end-of-life support services.
If you're looking for information about a specific type of service or how it might fit into your life right now or in the future, this section will help answer some common questions like: “What is home palliative care?” And “How do I find a specialist unit?”
How do I know if a home palliative care service is right for me or my loved one?
If you or your loved one is in the final stages of a terminal illness and are receiving palliative care in hospital, you may want to consider whether a home palliative care service could be right for you.
If you are receiving palliative care in hospital and your needs have changed, such as being more ill or needing more support than before, talk to the nursing team about how this can be met by the service.
If you have a life-limiting illness and need support at home from someone who understands specialised skills, contact us today.
How do I find a specialist palliative care unit?
- Ask your GP to refer you to a specialist palliative care team. They will be able to tell you which unit is closest and best suited to the needs of your loved one.
- Contact the local council or hospital in your area, as they may be able to help find a unit that's near you.
- Call the number for the palliative care service (or search online), and ask where they can direct you.
Conclusion
Palliative care can make a big difference for people who are living with a life-limiting illness. It’s important to know what support Palliative Care Advice Service are available in your local area and how they can help you or your loved one.
We hope that this blog post has given you some helpful information about palliative care services and how they can be beneficial when caring for someone with cancer or another life-limiting illness. If you still have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to them!
