What Is palliative care?
Palliative care helps people with any life-limiting or terminal condition to live their life as fully and as comfortably as possible. It is not just for people with cancer.
Palliative care identifies and treats symptoms which may be physical, emotional, spiritual or social. It also provides practical and emotional support to family and carers.
Because palliative care is based on each individual’s needs, support and services will vary. They may include:
- relief of pain and other symptoms (e.g. vomiting, shortness of breath)
- resources (e.g. equipment needed to provide care at home)
- assistance to enable families to talk about sensitive issues or meet cultural obligations
- referrals to respite care services
- access to support services (e.g. home help, financial support)
- emotional, social and spiritual support
- counselling and grief support.
Palliative care may be useful at different stages of an illness, from the time of diagnosis to the final stages of life. It can be given alongside treatments given by other doctors and
is available for people of any age, including babies and children.
Palliative Caring booklet
Palliative Care WA has developed a guide for families and carers to help guide them in caring for a loved one with a life-limiting illness. This WA-specific resource is split into
sections covering all aspects of the palliative caring journey. The booklet also includes useful website links and contacts to other organisations that can provide support to families and carers. You can read more about the latest edition here.
We also run workshops on palliative care. To learn more visit here.
What health professionals provide palliative care?
A range of health professionals generally work together to provide palliative care. This multidisciplinary team may include:
- doctors
- nurses
- social workers
- psychologists
- physiotherapists
- pharmacists
- occupational therapists
- speech therapists
- nutritionists
Generally, palliative care patients receive all of the care and support they need from this multidisciplinary team. However, some patients with complex symptoms that are difficult to manage may be referred to health professionals with specialist qualifications in palliative care.
How do you access palliative care?
Generally, the patient’s general practitioner makes a referral to specialist palliative care if it is required.
Where is palliative care provided?
Palliative care is provided at home, in a hospital or hospice, and at residential aged or disability care facilities.
Patients and their families are encouraged to decide where they would like palliative care to be provided, and palliative care teams will aim to achieve this when possible.
Many people indicate a preference to die at home. Achieving this depends on:
- the nature of the illness and amount of care the patient needs
- how much support is available from the patient’s family and community
- whether the patient has someone at home who can provide physical care and support for them.
Palliative care explained in 19 languages
Palliative Care Victoria’s brochure about palliative care that has been translated into 19 languages. The brochure answers the following questions:
- What is palliative care?
- Who provides palliative care?
- Where can I receive care?
- Will I have to pay?
- What if I need to speak another language?
- What about my family?
- Where can I get more information?
Order printed copies of the brochures, or download electronic versions using the links below:
- Arabic – العربية
- Chinese (simplified) – 简体中文
- Chinese (traditional) – 中国传统的
- Croatian – Hrvatski
- Dutch-Nederlands
- Greek – Grčki
- Hebrew – עִברִית
- Hindi – हिंदी
- Italian – Italiano
- Karen – ကညီကျိာ်
- Macedonian – македонски
- Maltese – Malti
- Polish – Polski
- Russian – русский
- Serbian – Српски
- Spanish – Español
- Turkish – Türk
- Vietnamese – Tiếng Việt
- Yiddish – ייִדיש
This information is not clinical advice. Your health care decisions are best made in consultation with your doctor.
Coming events
View allNews and updates
View allPalliative Care in WA Awards 2023 – nominations deadline extended to Friday 15 September
UPDATE: Nominations have now closed. Thanks everyone for sending in your nominations. Make sure you get your ticket for the gala event. See the link HERE. Do you know an…
Bookings now open for the Palliative Care in WA Awards 2023 Gala Dinner
Bookings are now open for the biennial Palliative Care in WA Awards 2023 sponsored by Silverchain on Thursday 16 November at Beaumonde on the Point in East Perth. The awards…
PCWA guest speaker at Care and Ageing Well Expo
Palliative Care WA’s Advance Care Planning Support Service officer Julia, who assists people with their Advance Care Planning (ACP) documentation, was a guest speaker the ACCPA Care and Ageing Well…
Palliative Care in WA Awards 2023 – nominations now open
The awards acknowledge the efforts of those professionals and volunteers who care for people who are at end-of-life and offer public recognition of individuals, teams and organisations who provide holistic…
Save the date – Palliative Care in WA Awards
A date has been set for the biennial Palliative Care in WA Awards! Make sure you mark Thursday 16 November in your calendar for this prestigious event. The awards and…
Palliative Care Helpline Posters now available
One of our key services for people needing advice on palliative care is the Palliative Care Helpline – 1800 573 299 – available from 9.00am to 5.00pm every day of…
Critical pain relief medicines at risk for people with cancer and terminal illness
Key health organisations, including Palliative Care WA, are stepping up advocacy efforts with supplies of a critical pain relief medication forecast to run out. People nearing the end of their…
End-of-life doulas and palliative care – two new resources released
Palliative care peak bodies from all Australian states and territories, as well as Flinders University, have developed ‘end-of-life doulas and palliative care’ resources to assist palliative care services and health…
Annual Sector Breakfast highlighted needs of vulnerable communities
It was fabulous to see such a great turn out for this year’s Annual Sector Breakfast to celebrate National Palliative Care Week 2023. This year it was held at three…
Your membership matters
Stay informed, get involved and positively impact the delivery of palliative care in WA. By becoming a Palliative Care WA Member you are helping us to provide an independent, informed and…
Orange heart pins now available for National Palliative Care Week 2023
National Palliative Care Week starts this Sunday 21 May 2023. This year we are going all things orange, the colour of our new heart pins. Please show your care and…
Helpline Interim Report shows rise in calls and service awareness
Our newly-released Palliative Care Helpline Interim Report shows that awareness of the service has increased greatly. The number of calls to the Helpline increased significantly in the 1 July to…