Echuca Regional Health’s community palliative care team nurse unit manager Katherine Formica said people often misunderstood what palliative care truly is.
Palliative care involves looking after people with life limiting diagnoses, such as cancer, organ failure, respiratory failure, neurological disorders and other such critical conditions.
“People think that palliative care is all about death, but it isn’t. It’s about assisting with living, not dying,” Ms Formica said.
Palliative care clinical nurse consultant Jan Carey agreed.
“It’s about improving the quality of life for however long someone may have left,” she said.
ERH has in-patient and community palliative care teams. The community palliative care team conducts home visits whereas the in-patient team will help patients who have been admitted to hospital.
There are five nurses and one social worker within the community palliative care team at ERH and volunteers will often work alongside the palliative care team to provide extra comfort and support to patients wherever possible.
Ms Carey said the scope and breadth of care that they could provide is quite broad.
“We offer symptom management, pain management, support for carers and patients, we report back to their GP or their specialist about their condition,” she said.
“We refer to and work alongside other organisations and healthcare professionals such as dietitians, physios, carers, oncologists or other professions as needed.”
There have even been occasions where the team has assisted with granting a person’s last wish when a patient has expressed the desire to go somewhere or do something for the final time.
Ms Formica said people were often hesitant at first when they were referred to palliative care by their families, friends or their GP.
“People are initially apprehensive but we often find that they will say that they wish they had considered palliative care earlier,”
“We are able to provide them with comfort and stability,” Ms Formica said.
Even after a person’s death, ERH’s community palliative care team will remain in contact with grieving families via regular phone calls, home visits and an annual memorial service where people who are grieving can attend and light a candle for their lost loved ones.
Prior to COVID, they also held a regular bereavement walking group where families and friends could connect with others who were dealing with grief.
This is something that they are hoping to recommence this year.
ERH’s palliative care clinical nurse consultant Libby Bell said having a national week that was dedicated to palliative care only helped to educate people about their right to living comfortably.
“It’s about getting the word out,’’ Ms Bell said.
“It’s important that people recognise the benefits that palliative care can offer so that no one ends up missing out on a service that could dramatically improve their well being, their quality of life and their overall satisfaction with life.”
For more information on palliative care, visit https://erh.org.au/departmentservice/palliative-care/
