Looking for End of Life Care?

Palliative care is a key component of end of life care. It is care that can alleviate a problem without treating the underlying cause. Palliative care can ease the distress and discomfort of people with incurable cancers, progressive neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis and advanced dementia. It can soothe symptoms like nausea, constipation, sleeplessness and pain allowing your loved one to rest or enjoy activities with the family. It’s about improving quality of life from a mental, physical, social and spiritual perspective, and is relevant at any age and for any serious illness. End of life care is much the same, but specifically refers to those in their final year of life.

How does palliative care work?

End of life care, or palliative care is a specific part of what’s called supportive care. Supportive care should be integrated into diagnosis and treatment, and covers:

• Self help and support
• The giving of information
• Psychological support
• Symptom control
• Complementary therapies
• Spiritual support

Palliative care is given by those who provide day-to-day care and by specialist consultants and nurses. Those providing day-to-day care assess the needs of the patient and their families, meet those needs where they can, and refer to specialists where appropriate.

What does palliative care do?

End of life care aims to help the patient and their family to adjust. It sounds morbid, but it’s surprisingly life-affirming. Death is a natural part of life and there’s nothing unusual about it. Palliative care will help the patient and family to focus on their psychological and spiritual wellbeing, while easing the pain and symptoms that might cause discomfort. End of life care helps those coming to the end, to remain active, and helps everyone involved to have a healthy emotional response to the situation. It’s never an easy time. It’s likely that feelings will be turbulent and sometimes confused, and having a professional involved can help to clear the tensions and strains that will inevitably arise.

What is an end of life care plan?

An end of life care plan is document created by the clinical team and palliative care professionals in partnership with yourself or loved ones to make the end of life as comfortable as possible. For example end of life live in care can help you remain in your home amongst family and friends.

How much does palliative care cost?

As is true across the care sector, it’s difficult to give an exact answer as costs depend on a number of factors. By its very nature, palliative care is holistic but evidence based, so costs will depend on how many people are involved, and what speciality may be required. It will also depend on where you receive palliative care – whether at home, in a hospital, in a care home, or in a hospice. The average hospice stay lasts around 14 days, at a cost of up to £400 a day. Should you or your loved one wish to spend the remaining time at home, live-in palliative care can be a considerably cheaper option.

Planning end-of-life care

Planning ahead is important to ensure that your loved one gets the care that best meets their needs. It’s vital to consider practical and financial matters like Power of Attorney and wills and to think about the sort of support they would prefer towards the end of life. They don’t have to formalise these opinions, but an advanced care plan can ensure that the healthcare team fully understand their wishes, it can also help your loved one process their thoughts and feelings. Remember, the plan is written on paper, not set in stone, they can edit it whenever and however they need. It’s worth considering these questions:

• Where you would they like to receive care?
• Are there any treatments that they would prefer not to have?
• Would they like resuscitation if their breathing stops or if they suffer a cardiac arrest?

How to find palliative care

It can seem like a lonely time but there should be a team of professionals available to offer support. The problem is knowing who to ask and where to go. Too many people don’t want to be a bother or a burden but you should not have to struggle alone. If your loved one is in a nursing home, hospital or hospice: The nursing staff should point you in the right direction. There will be a palliative care team available to provide expert assistance, they should help you access the support you need whether it is medical, practical or spiritual.

If your loved one is at home, the first port of call should be your GP and the district nurse in your area. The fact that your loved one is at home doesn’t mean that all the care is down to you. You can access a hospice at home service. Ask your GP, oncologist or medical consultant to refer you. A specialist team will work together with your doctor to ensure that all their needs are met, in the comfort of their own home.