If your doctor or specialist has mentioned ‘palliative care’ in the management of your health, you are likely to have many questions. Below are some of the questions people often ask us prior to or after they commence palliative care treatment.
Frequently asked questions
What is palliative care?
Palliative care is a patient-focussed multidisciplinary treatment plan that helps people live as fully and as comfortably as possible with a life-limiting illness. Palliative care is for people of any age. It can be provided in your home, a hospital, a hospice or an aged care facility.
Is palliative care only for a patient diagnosed with cancer?
Clare Holland House is not just for cancer patients. We care for patients with any terminal life-limiting illness. Among these illnesses are cardiac and respiratory diseases, renal and liver diseases, and neurological conditions such as MND, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and stroke.
Who is in the palliative care team?
The palliative care team can include many health professionals to help you and your family manage your illness. These include:
- doctors and specialists
- nurses
- a multi-disciplinary psycho-social support service comprising Pastoral Care, Social Work and Psychology, and bereavement counselling. These services remain available to family and carers after a patient has died
- physiotherapists
- occupational and speech therapists
- Palliative Care ACT trained volunteers
How can this service help my family/patient?
Palliative care identifies and treats symptoms which may be physical, emotional, spiritual or social. Palliative care is based on a person’s individual needs, the services offered may include:
- Relief of pain and other symptoms e.g. vomiting, shortness of breath
- Resources such as equipment needed to aid care at home
- Assistance for families to come together to talk about sensitive issues
- Links to other services such as home help and financial support
- Support for people to meet cultural obligations
- Support for emotional, social and spiritual concerns
- Counselling and grief support
- Referrals to respite care services
Palliative care is a family-centred model of care, meaning that family and carers can receive practical and emotional support.
How do I get access to Clare Holland house services?
Talk to your GP or specialist for a referral to services or for admission to Clare Holland House.
How long can I stay at Clare Holland House?
The average length of stay at Clare Holland House is two weeks. Together we develop a plan about what is right for a patient and this may mean transfer home or to another facility (Residential Aged Care) if appropriate.
Is there a café on site/what do visitors do for meals
Clare Holland House does not have a café on site. There are tea and coffee facilities and a vending machine. Food, petrol and other services are available at Majura Park which is around five minutes’ drive from Clare Holland House.
Can visitors stay with a patient overnight?
Yes, visitors can stay overnight. However, we do restrict visitors in your room to one person overnight as this ensures appropriate and safe access for staff to attend to your care needs throughout the night.
Please note that from August 2021 approval for an overnight visitor stay will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
Can palliative care hasten the dying process?
Palliative care does not speed up or slow down the dying process. Palliative care aims to manage symptoms and discomfort to enhance a patient’s quality of life and minimise their suffering. Palliative care neither hastens death nor prolongs life but instead aims to improve quality of life for a patient.
How long before my loved one dies?
Patients and families often want to know how long a patient is expected to live. This is a hard question to answer. Every patient is an individual and their journey unique. Out team will conduct regular patient assessment and monitor their overall condition for signs of deterioration. Staff may be able to make an estimate based on what they know about the patient, however this cannot always be accurate.
What can family members do to help their loved one at end of life?
- Don’t give food and fluids unless the patient requests it
- Wet the lips and mouth with a small amount of water, ice chips or mouth spray
- Protect patients lips from dryness by applying protective lip balm
- Be gentle, use reassuring touch
- It is believed that the last senses to be lost are touch and hearing
- Talk to the patient
- Discuss memories and life events
- Listen to music
Palliative care support resources for patients and Carers
Bereavement Support resources
Bereavement support and grief counselling may help the loved ones of patient cope with the end of life or understand the various emotions they may experience after the death of someone very dear to them.
| Resource | Phone number | Information |
|---|---|---|
Clare Holland House | Clare Holland House offers bereavement counselling with either a Social Work Bereavement Counsellor or Pastoral Care Bereavement Counsellor for the loved ones of those who have died and were known to the service. Monthly reflective services are also held at the hospice. | |
Canberra Grief Centre | Offers specialist grief and bereavement counselling with Sonia Fenwick. Further information can be found at www.canberragriefcentre.com.au There is a fee for service. | |
Offers bereavement counselling to those whose lives are impacted by cancer. Appointments are made via the Community Health Intake number provided. | ||
CanTeen | Offers peer support and professional counselling for 12- to 24-year-old young people living with cancer or whose lives have been affected by illness or death of a family member with that disease. | |
National Centre for Childhood Grief | Offers free specialist bereavement counselling for children aged 3 – 18 years. Adult counselling offered as a fee for service. They have a wealth of information about children and grief on their website: https://childhoodgrief.org.au | |
Red Nose | Offers grief and bereavement counselling to families who have lost a child through miscarriage, stillbirth, illness, or accident. | |
Queanbeyan Palliative Care Services | Offers bereavement counselling to people in their area. | |
Leukaemia Foundation | Offers support to individuals and families who have experienced the death of a loved one through blood cancer, including leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. |