If you have an illness that cannot be cured, palliative care makes you as comfortable as possible by managing your pain and other distressing symptoms. It also involves psychological, social and spiritual support for you and your family or carers. This is called a holistic approach, because it deals with you as a "whole" person, not just your illness or symptoms.
Here are the principles for quality palliative care, and these may be applicable from diagnosis:
• affirms life and regards dying as a normal process
• intends to neither hasten nor to postpone death
• provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms
• integrates the psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects of patient care
• offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death
• offers a support system to help the family cope during the patient's illness and into bereavement
• uses a team approach to address the needs of patients and their families, including bereavement counselling if indicated
• will enhance quality of life and may also positively influence the course of illness.
Palliative care is available when you first learn you have a life-limiting (terminal) illness. You might be able to receive palliative care while you are still receiving other therapies to treat your condition.
All healthcare professionals provide palliative care as part of their jobs. An example is the care you get from your GP or community nurses; or the doctors and nurses on your ward in hospital. All allied health care professionals also help in supporting your palliative care, like occupational therapist, physiotherapist, speech and language therapist, dieticians, all working together.
Some people need additional specialist palliative care. This may be provided by consultants trained in palliative medicine, specialist palliative care nurses, or specialist occupational therapists or physiotherapists. As specialists, they also advise other professionals on palliative care.
Improve patient experience and support patient-centred goals by:
Some charities also provide palliative care support to people living in Swansea Bay.
Officially, end of life care is care in the last year of life. We often use end of life care to describe care in the last days of life. See earlier section on End of Life Care for more information.
Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth a galwadau ffôn yn y Gymraeg neu'r Saesneg. Atebir gohebiaeth Gymraeg yn y Gymraeg, ac ni fydd hyn yn arwain at oedi. Mae’r dudalen hon ar gael yn Gymraeg drwy bwyso’r botwm ar y dde ar frig y dudalen.
We welcome correspondence and telephone calls in Welsh or English. Welsh language correspondence will be replied to in Welsh, and this will not lead to a delay. This page is available in Welsh by clicking ‘Cymraeg’ at the top right of this page.