When should palliative care be offered?

improve your symptoms, helping you live as full and active a life as possible.

Palliative care is also known as supportive care. It was conceived by Dame Cicely Saunders in the 1960s. She founded the hospice movement to provide patients with relief from what she called ‘total pain’. Today, palliative care is still sometimes referred to as ‘hospice care’ even though it’s regularly provided not only in hospices but also in private homes, nursing and care homes, and hospitals. Palliative care is a human right and includes end-of-life care, offered in the last weeks or months of life.

Palliative care is an all-embracing approach. Patients with a terminal illness may experience more than physical pain and other physical symptoms, so compassionate care should include not only clinical, but also psychological, social, and spiritual support. For this reason, it’s provided by a multidisciplinary team of experts, not just doctors and nurses.

How do you know when someone needs palliative care?

If you’ve recently been diagnosed, or you’re receiving treatment, for a serious, complex illness, your doctor may advise you to consider receiving palliative care, perhaps alongside ongoing treatment for your condition. But if they don’t, that shouldn’t stop you from starting a conversation with them.

Symptoms that could prompt you to see your GP about palliative care for yourself or a loved one include:

• Being in pain
• Being more sleepy, less hungry, or thirsty than usual
• Mobility problems, including falls

Identifying, assessing, and treating these symptoms early on can help relieve pain and prevent unnecessary suffering.

If you already have some care arrangements at home, you might want to talk to your provider about whether they can reassess your needs and ensure everything is being done to keep you as comfortable as possible.

What conditions typically require palliative care?

Palliative care supports people of all ages with progressive, terminal illnesses, including older people with frailty and multiple comorbidities.

At some point, people diagnosed with any of these chronic life-limiting illnesses and diseases may benefit from palliative care:

• AIDS
• Cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Chronic respiratory diseases
• Chronic liver disease
• Congenital anomalies
• Diabetes
• Dementia
• Kidney failure
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Neurological disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB)

(Source: WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/palliative-care)

Children and young people diagnosed with rare life-limiting conditions also benefit from palliative care.

What conditions typically require palliative care?

Palliative care supports people of all ages with progressive, terminal illnesses, including older people with frailty and multiple comorbidities.

At some point, people diagnosed with any of these chronic life-limiting illnesses and diseases may benefit from palliative care:

• AIDS
• Cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Chronic respiratory diseases
• Chronic liver disease
• Congenital anomalies
• Diabetes
• Dementia
• Kidney failure
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Neurological disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB)

(Source: WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/palliative-care)

Children and young people diagnosed with rare life-limiting conditions also benefit from palliative care.

What symptoms is palliative care offered for?

You should talk to your GP and arrange a care assessment if you or a family member are experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• An increasing number of falls
• An increased number of visits to the GP or A&E
• Breathing difficulties, persistent pain, and other symptoms that aren’t controlled by your regular medications
• Delirium – decreased alertness, change in mental abilities, confusion, or lack of awareness
• Eating less and feeling less hungry and/or thirsty, including anorexia
• Growing anxiety, restlessness, or depression
• Hearing and/or vision problems
• Memory loss
• Mobility problems in general
• More infections
• Problems swallowing
• Tiredness – spending more and more time sleeping
• Unexplained weight loss and/or growing frailty
• Urinary or bowel incontinence or frequent constipation

What care and treatments are provided during palliative care?

Palliative care is holistic and multidisciplinary. It looks to support patients and their families across many different pain points, whether spiritual, emotional, psychological, or medical, and throughout the course of their illness – not just in the final days, weeks, or months. It may also be complementary to other ongoing treatments for your underlying illness.

The range of therapies and care available reflects the broad spectrum of needs. It goes beyond pain prevention and relief, to relief from other medical symptoms, such as breathing difficulties, fatigue, and nausea.

Therapies used in palliative care can include:

• Acupuncture
• Chemotherapy and radiotherapy (for cancer patients)
• Dietary changes and/or nutritional support
• Medicines to relieve nausea and vomiting, ease constipation, or improve bladder and/or bowel control
• Meditation
• Musical therapy
• Occupational therapy and rehabilitation
• Pain relief (analgesia)
• Physical therapy (physiotherapy)
• Sleep therapy
• Support and advice
• Treatment for anxiety/depression, including talking therapies

Is palliative care the same as end-of-life care?

Palliative care and end-of-life care are similar. Both aim to relieve pain and help make patients feel comfortable. However, end-of-life care refers to the specific type of palliative care that supports people during their final days or weeks, while palliative care is appropriate from when an incurable terminal illness is diagnosed. It may, therefore, last months, even years.

Can palliative care be provided at home?

Yes, palliative care can be provided at home. Research has consistently shown that most people prefer to be cared for in their own homes, retaining their independence and leading more fulfilling lives. So high quality palliative care is available at home in the same way as in other settings.

Palliative care with the Nursing Guild

Palliative care and nursing services at home are provided by the Nursing Guild to people anywhere in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. We are fully regulated by the Care Inspectorate in Scotland and the RQIA in Ireland and have the highest rating for our services.

Home is the best place to receive palliative care. That’s why our palliative care nurses are available whenever you need us, including at short notice or in an emergency, and for as long as you need. 

So, whether your requirement is last-minute, unusual, remote, or difficult to cover, we’re here to help you stay independent and remain comfortable and safe in your own home for as long as possible.