Most people imagine end-of-life care can only be accessed in a residential care home, hospice, or hospital. However, with proper planning, you can receive palliative care at home surrounded by your family, close friends, and most loved possessions.

If you have been diagnosed with a life-limiting condition, palliative care allows you to live the way you want while receiving treatment and after it ends. Palliative care also helps your family to support you while also taking care of themselves.

When is palliative care provided?

Palliative care should be considered as soon as you are diagnosed with a life-limiting condition. Such a diagnosis can be mentally, physically and emotionally exhausting, so palliative care can be helpful at any stage of the illness. Many people think palliative care is just about pain management while a person is in the final months of their life, but it is so much more than that – it can help alleviate pain, stress, and other symptoms that affect your quality of life.

Studies have shown that people who receive high quality palliative care from the early stages of their illness can have better outcomes than people who only receive late palliative care. People receiving early palliative care reported:

  • Feeling better
  • Fewer symptoms
  • Improved mood
  • Better quality of life

Why choose palliative care at home?

Palliative care is typically given when a person is terminally ill and nearing end of life. It provides a holistic approach to care and treatment, involving the management of physical pain and symptoms, ongoing medical treatment, social and psychological support, and maintaining quality of life.

In-home palliative care provides the same specialist support and care as any other palliative care with the advantage of staying in the environment you know best surrounded by those you love. Dependent on individual circumstances, in-home palliative care usually involves a collective team of nurses, GPs, CAREGivers, and sometimes, spiritual or social workers.

At Home Instead, we focus on the comfort and well-being of our clients, as well as their family and carers. Our professional CAREGivers can be there during this difficult time to provide practical support if, and when, you need it from a little as two hours a day to 24-hour care.

As part of our personalised palliative care plans, we offer a range of hands-on personal and home care services to ensure you and your loved ones are fully supported and as comfortable as possible. Our compassionate CAREGivers can provide emotional support to your family, as well as comfort, companionship, and activities such as reading to suit your wishes.

When it comes to getting the most out of palliative care and making the right decisions for yourself or a loved one, it is important to fully understand all of the options available to you. To learn more about palliative care at home, please visit www.homeinstead.co.nz/services/palliative-care or contact our Home Instead office for more information today.