Palliative care at home – the complete guide

Palliative care at home is available to individuals in Melbourne who are living with serious or life-limiting conditions. This care takes place in the comfort of your own home and includes specialised treatment and support. According to Palliative Care Australia – the peak Australian body:

Palliative care is person and family-centred care provided for a person with an active, progressive, advanced disease, who has little or no prospect of cure and who is expected to die, and for whom the primary goal is to optimise the quality of life.

We optimise our patient’s quality of life by identifying their physical, emotional, spiritual, and social needs. We then create a comprehensive care plan tailored to them.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes palliative care as an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.

Palliative care in Australia

• relieves pain and other distressing symptoms
• advocates for investigations that are necessary to better understand and manage clinical complications
• regards dying as a normal biological process
• intends neither to hasten or postpone death
• integrates the psychological and spiritual into the patient’s care
• promotes patients living as independently and actively as possible until death
• can be used in conjunction with other therapies which aim to prolong life, such as radiation therapy
• provides the family guidance and support in bereavement

We strongly believe palliative care at home in Australia should be the first option considered. Staying in one’s home can benefit a person’s wellbeing at the end of life. It creates a sense of knowing, security, and comfort. Memories are also associated with the home, providing comfort and security.

The situation whereby those wanting to die at home end up in residential homecare settings stems from a lack of palliative care planning. Many individuals simply do not know they can live out their lives at home. Palliative care planning must promote awareness and education of in-home options.

What does dying at home look like?

Palliative care in the home offers our clients in Melbourne and Victoria gold standard care in areas such as:

• Pain and symptom management – our goal is to manage pain and alleviate any distressing symptoms. This may involve the use of medication, physical therapies, counselling and other evidence-based interventions tailored to your needs.
• Emotional and psychosocial support – our team are trained in counselling, emotional support, and guidance. This helps our patients and their families cope with stress, grief, and anxiety associated with serious life-limiting illness.
• Care coordination – we work closely with your primary healthcare team and other providers to ensure a smooth and connected care experience, helping coordinate medical appointments and facilitate communication between healthcare professionals.
• Assistance with daily activities – practical support with personal hygiene, mobility assistance, and meal preparation, enhancing comfort and independence while relieving some of the burdens on family caregivers.
• Spiritual and cultural support – if desired, we can help patients connect with religious or spiritual resources.
• Education and guidance – covering the nature of the illness, treatment options, and end-of-life decision-making, including help with Advance Care Planning via an Advance Care Directive (ACD).
• 24/7 availability – allowing patients and families to access support and advice whenever it is required.
• Respite for family members who become exhausted when caring for a loved one in palliative care at home.

What does it cost to die at home?

Australia’s public health system offers palliative care services without charge. These services can be provided at home, at a residential aged care facility, or in a hospital as an inpatient. The federal, state and territory governments fund a range of palliative care services in Victoria.

You do not have to be getting aged care services to access palliative care services. Doctors, aged care providers, state or territory health departments and community health services can help you access palliative care in Victoria. Sometimes you may have to pay for hiring of specialised equipment or for certain therapies not offered by your provider.

Benefits of palliative services at home

The benefits of palliative services at home are numerous. This type of care is not limited to particular conditions and can be given at any stage of illness, and can be provided alongside curative treatments. It keeps patients out of the hospital and residential aged care system. It supports family and friends to be involved in their loved one’s caregiving.

An additional benefit of palliative care at home is that it can be tailored exclusively to our patient’s needs and preferences. It promotes dignity, respect, and a sense of control during what is an enormously challenging time.

There’s really no place like home. Colbrow provides experienced and compassionate palliative care services. We have enabled hundreds of people to remain in the comfort of their own home during their final days. Dying is a human experience, not just a medical one. Whatever circumstances surround your life-limiting disease or illness, the right support is available.

If you have questions about palliative care in Victoria, call Colbrow Care today on 1300 33 11 03.