What is palliative care?
Hospices provide palliative care with the aim to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of people with a life-limiting illness. It helps people live as fully and as well as they can to the end of their lives, however long that may be.
Here are some facts about hospice care which you may not be aware of…
- Hospice care looks after someone’s physical, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual needs. This means that hospices provide a wide range of services.
- Palliative care can be available to people from the time they are first diagnosed with a life-limiting illness. People can receive palliative care for a long time before they die.
- Everything we provide is free of charge.
- Family and Whānau can still receive support after a loved one has passed away.
- You don’t have to stay at a hospice to access care – in fact many people receive support from a hospice whilst they are living at home.
- There are 33 members hospices of Hospice NZ, which can be found across the country.
- Palliative care can be accessed through referral from your General Practitioner, medical specialist or other health provider.
- Palliative care can help you manage your illness, particularly pain and symptoms so you can continue to live life as well as you can, while dealing with your illness.
- Palliative care aims to provide the best quality of life until the person dies. Early access to palliative care provides a person with the ability to control their symptoms more effectively and build a relationship with their healthcare team and in some cases, has been proven to actually prolong life.
- Palliative care can give you more time and energy to be with those you love.
