End of Life / Palliative Care

Our specialist team can offer end of life / palliative care

What are palliative care and end of life care?

You may come across the terms palliative care or end of life care and feel you don’t know much about them. People often find these terms confusing.

Palliative care is treatment, care and support for people with a life-limiting illness, and their family and friends. It’s sometimes called ‘supportive care’.

The aim of palliative care is to help you to have a good quality of life – this includes being as well and active as possible in the time you have left. It can involve:

• managing physical symptoms such as pain
• emotional, spiritual and psychological support
• social care, including help with things like washing, dressing or eating
• support for your family and friends.

You can receive palliative care at any stage in your illness. Having palliative care can vary some people receive palliative care for years. You can also have palliative care alongside treatments, therapies and medicines aimed at controlling your illness, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

What is end of life care?

End of life care involves treatment, care and support for people who are nearing the end of their life. It’s an important part of palliative care.

It’s for people who are thought to be in the last year of life, but this timeframe can be difficult to predict. Some people might only receive end of life care in their last weeks or days.

End of life care aims to help you to live as comfortably as possible in the time you have left. It involves managing physical symptoms and getting emotional support for you and your family and friends. You might need more of this type of care towards the end of your life.

End of life care also involves talking to you and your family and friends about what to expect towards the end of your life. The people looking after you will talk to you about your needs and wishes, and make sure they consider what you want in the care they provide.

How do I get palliative or end of life care?

Speak to your GP or another healthcare professional about how palliative or end of life care might help you and how you can access it. Call our specialists today and we will discuss the support options available to you.