Palliative Care
Palliative or supportive care is the term used to describe the approach to care which allows people with advanced illnesses to have the best quality of life possible, for as long as possible. They provide support to both patients and their families and ensure that physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs are addressed. Palliative care is about assisting people to live well with cancer and other serious illnesses, not just about death and dying.
The palliative care team are often the best at managing the various symptoms associated with advanced or metastatic cancer including shortness of breath, pain, fatigue, nausea, constipation and loss of appetite. They have many tricks up their sleeves for helping people to manage these problems and also have exclusive PBS access to certain medications which can help to ease some of these symptoms. It is for this reason that I mainly refer my patients to the palliative care team whether it be first time I see you with metastatic disease or years down the track. Palliative care is also something that you can dip in and out of. The main thing is that you are known to the team and if you need them, they know who you are and are there to help however they can.
There has been much research into the benefits of palliative care, and a study performed in the US in 2010 in patients with metastatic lung cancer showed that patients who had early access to palliative care actually lived longer. We also know from experience that patients who are linked in with the community palliative care team have better symptom control and overall quality of life. To read this paper, click here.
We usually refer you to the palliative care team which is close to where you live. This is because there are many people who form the team including nurses, doctors, social workers and occupational therapists and this allows them to see you at home if necessary.
If you need an admission for symptom management, you can be admitted to Macquarie University Hospital or your local palliative care unit. If you are known to the local palliative care team, it is often preferable you are admitted close to home under the care of the palliative care doctors who know you. Alternatively, we can admit you to Macquarie University Hospital and get our palliative care team here to see you, but for many reasons, longer term palliative care inpatient care is best conducted in specialized hospice units such as those at Greenwich Hospital, Neringah or Mt Druitt Hospital.
Our Palliative Care team at MUH consists mainly of Dr Martin Kennedy and Kelly Arthurs, CNC.
For more information regarding palliative care, please refer to the Understanding Palliative Care booklet by the NSW Cancer Council. Another good website is the CareSearch website.
The palliative care team are often the best at managing the various symptoms associated with advanced or metastatic cancer including shortness of breath, pain, fatigue, nausea, constipation and loss of appetite. They have many tricks up their sleeves for helping people to manage these problems and also have exclusive PBS access to certain medications which can help to ease some of these symptoms. It is for this reason that I mainly refer my patients to the palliative care team whether it be first time I see you with metastatic disease or years down the track. Palliative care is also something that you can dip in and out of. The main thing is that you are known to the team and if you need them, they know who you are and are there to help however they can.
There has been much research into the benefits of palliative care, and a study performed in the US in 2010 in patients with metastatic lung cancer showed that patients who had early access to palliative care actually lived longer. We also know from experience that patients who are linked in with the community palliative care team have better symptom control and overall quality of life. To read this paper, click here.
We usually refer you to the palliative care team which is close to where you live. This is because there are many people who form the team including nurses, doctors, social workers and occupational therapists and this allows them to see you at home if necessary.
If you need an admission for symptom management, you can be admitted to Macquarie University Hospital or your local palliative care unit. If you are known to the local palliative care team, it is often preferable you are admitted close to home under the care of the palliative care doctors who know you. Alternatively, we can admit you to Macquarie University Hospital and get our palliative care team here to see you, but for many reasons, longer term palliative care inpatient care is best conducted in specialized hospice units such as those at Greenwich Hospital, Neringah or Mt Druitt Hospital.
Our Palliative Care team at MUH consists mainly of Dr Martin Kennedy and Kelly Arthurs, CNC.
For more information regarding palliative care, please refer to the Understanding Palliative Care booklet by the NSW Cancer Council. Another good website is the CareSearch website.