If the person you care for has an illness that can’t be cured, palliative care will make them as comfortable as possible, by managing pain and other distressing symptoms.
Palliative care isn’t just for the end of life. The person you care for could receive palliative care earlier in their illness while receiving other therapies to treat their condition.
Palliative care can be provided in a range of settings; at home, in hospital or community hospital, in a care home or a hospice. It is important to know the wishes of the person you care for so, where possible, they get the care they want.
SOLLA: Society Of Later Life Advisers – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Bereavement Support:
End of life care should help the person you care for live as well as possible until the last years / months of their life, and to die with dignity.
The people providing care should ask them about their wishes and preferences, and take these into account when they work with you to plan their care.
The person you care for has the right to express their wishes about where they want to receive care and where they want to die. End of life care could be provided at home or in a hospice or hospital.
Anyone approaching the end of their life is entitled to high quality care, wherever they’re being cared for.
In Reading palliative care services are provided by the NHS and charities. Click here for the palliative care and support services listed on the Reading Services Guide.
Other services:
The Dying Matters website provides advice and guidance to help you and the person talk about their wishes for their end of life care.
Planning ahead also makes the legal and practical consequences of illness and death much easier for everyone to deal with.
SOLLA: Overview – Society Of Later Life Advisers – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Parent Carers Needs Assessment & Support
Bereavement affects everyone in different ways, listed below are just some of the organisations that can offer information and support through this difficult period of your life.
Bereavement Support Payment: How it works – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Get help with grief after bereavement or loss – NHS (www.nhs.uk)