Palliative care is treatment, care and support for people living with a life-limiting illness, and those who support them.
A life-limiting illness is an active, progressive, or advanced disease, that has little or no prospect of cure and that you’re likely to die from at some point in the future.
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.
Whether the cause of suffering is cardiovascular disease, cancer, major organ failure, drug-resistant tuberculosis, severe burns, end-stage chronic illness, acute trauma, extreme birth prematurity or extreme frailty of old age (WHO 2023).
Terminal care or 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 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 professionals that all have equally important roles to play – including physicians, nursing, support workers, paramedics, pharmacists, allied health, and volunteers, in support of the patient and their family. (WHO 2023)
Palliative care can be delivered in your home which includes residential aged care homes.
Depending on where you live, your community health service may include specialist palliative care nurses and doctors.
The Palliative Care Consultancy Gippsland (PCCG) based at Latrobe Regional Health, provides specialist consultation to health professionals, palliative clients, and their families/carers throughout the Gippsland region.
The Gippsland Palliative Care Services Directory to locate your local community health service can be accessed here.
Gippsland PHN has been provided funding by the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care under The Greater Choice for At Home Palliative Care (GCfAHPC) measure to coordinate palliative care activities.
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.
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.
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.
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.
