Palliative care helps people live as fully and as comfortably as possible with a life-limiting or terminal illness. Palliative care aims to ease the suffering of patients and their families. This includes making sure you and your family get the care and support you need to live well.
Palliative care is a crucial part of relieving suffering caused by a life-limiting illness, be it physical, psychological, social or spiritual. Palliative care can be accessed at any age or stage of illness where there is suffering.
The aim of palliative care is to help you have a good quality of life. This includes making sure you and your family get the care and support you need to live well.
Palliative care is based on individual needs and may involve:
Terminal care, also referred to as end-of-life care, is only one component of palliative care.
Early access to palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and their families and caregivers, who are facing challenges associated with life-limiting illness.
Palliative care uses a team approach to support patients and their caregivers to alleviate suffering beyond physical symptoms. This includes addressing practical needs and providing bereavement counselling. It offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death (WHO 2023).
Early delivery of palliative care reduces unnecessary hospital admissions and the use of health services (WHO 2023).
Palliative care involves a range of services delivered by a range of health professionals that have equally important roles to play. The palliative care team can include doctors and specialists, nurses, aged care workers, social workers, physiotherapists and exercise physiologists, occupational and speech therapists, psychologists and trained volunteers.
Palliative care can be provided in a person’s home, including residential aged care settings. Depending on where you live, your local community health service may offer access to specialist palliative care nurses and doctors.
The Palliative Care Consultancy Gippsland (PCCG), based at Latrobe Regional Health, provides specialist consultation and advice to health professionals, palliative care clients, and their families and carers across the Gippsland region
You can access the Gippsland Palliative Care Services Directory to help locate your local community health service.
Gippsland PHN has been provided funding by the Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing under the Greater Choice for At Home Palliative Care (GCfAHPC) measure which aims to improve palliative care coordination.
Palliative care project activities include:
Gippsland PHN has employed a Project Coordinator and Project Officer to support the delivery of the project. We are seeking Expressions of Interest from people interested in participating in project activities including a project advisory group, education and training, needs assessments and quality improvement activities.
Register your interest here.
Caring at Home Aims to increase access to quality and timely end-of-life care for patients who choose to be cared for, and die at home, if possible.
Care Search consolidates online palliative care knowledge for health professionals, people needing palliative care and their families, and for the general community.
Palliative Care Victoria is the peak body for palliative care and end of life care in Victoria.
Program of Experiences in the Palliative Approach (PEPA) forms part of the Palliative Care Education and Training Collaborative and is Federally funded.
Voluntary assisted dying is a process which allows a person in the late stages of advanced disease to take medication prescribed by a doctor that will bring about their death at a time they choose. Only people who meet all the conditions and follow the process set out in the law can access the voluntary assisted dying medication.
The Victorian Palliative Care Advice Service (PCAS) provides free and confidential specialist advice to clinicians and the community about all aspects of living with life-limiting illness and supporting those who do.
Gippsland Region Palliative Care Consortium (GRPCC) is a collaborative network that supports consistent, high-quality palliative and end-of-life care across Gippsland through coordination, education and shared resources.
Advanced Care Planning Australia is a national advanced care planning support service.
Carer Gateway is an Australian Government program providing free services and support for carers. Services are delivered in person, online and over the phone.
My Aged Care is the Australian Government’s central website for aged care information and access to services. It provides information on end-of-life and palliative care, including how palliative care supports quality of life, guidance on advance care planning, and pathways to access aged care and in-home supports.
Caring at Home Aims to increase access to quality and timely end-of-life care for patients who choose to be cared for, and die at home, if possible.
Care Search consolidates online palliative care knowledge for health professionals, people needing palliative care and their families, and for the general community.
The Healthy End of Life Program works to improve end-of-life care by supporting health professionals, services and communities with education, resources and practical tools to deliver high-quality, person-centred care.
Palliative Care Victoria is the peak body for palliative care and end of life care in Victoria.
Palliative Care Australia is the national peak body that advocates for quality palliative care and supports people living with life-limiting illness, their families and the health professionals who care for them.
Program of Experiences in the Palliative Approach (PEPA) forms part of the Palliative Care Education and Training Collaborative and is Federally funded.
Voluntary assisted dying is a process which allows a person in the late stages of advanced disease to take medication prescribed by a doctor that will bring about their death at a time they choose. Only people who meet all the conditions and follow the process set out in the law can access the voluntary assisted dying medication.
The Victorian Palliative Care Advice Service offers free, confidential advice for all Victorians seeking information about life-limiting illness, palliative care or end-of-life care.