Palliative care

Palliative care supports patients and families who are experiencing a life-threatening illness, or an illness that is not responding to treatment.

What is palliative care?

Palliative care is specialised support for people living with a serious, progressive, or life-threatening illness. Its primary goal is to provide the highest possible quality of life to patients. Palliative care can begin in the early course of illness and not only in the advanced stages.

This type of care focuses on improving comfort by relieving symptoms such as pain, discomfort and stress. It also recognises the importance of emotional and spiritual wellbeing, offering support not only to patients but to their families as well.

At St John of God Health Care, our palliative care services provide compassionate, holistic support tailored to each individual’s needs, helping patients live as comfortably and meaningfully as possible. Receiving palliative care does not mean ending ongoing treatment, rather it adds an extra level of supportive care alongside ongoing therapies to optimise quality of life.

Palliative care may be able to help you or someone you love with:

• easing pain
• easing breathing difficulties
• easing nausea
• aiding poor appetite
• relieving anxiety.
  

Palliative care services and end of life care

Our palliative care services support the physical, psychological, social, emotional and spiritual aspects of living with a life-limiting or end of life illness.

Palliative care acknowledges dying as part of life and includes good end of life care. For some patients, palliative care interventions have been shown to prolong life and improve quality.

We adopt an interdisciplinary approach involving a highly experienced team which may include, doctors, clinical and registered nurses and allied health professionals to help improve quality of life.

Patients are encouraged to be engaged in the decision-making process when putting a palliative care plan in place. The plan is based on the patient’s needs and goals.

Many of our hospitals provide pastoral services, ensuring confidential one-to-one support and spiritual wellbeing.

Palliative care specialists

We aim to care for you in a way that respects your comfort and wellbeing.

A palliative care specialist will work with you to develop a goal orientated care plan and will explain the benefits of different medications and treatment options available for the control of pain, nausea and other symptoms.

Referrals to palliative care can be made through your treating doctor or general practitioner. Your nurse can arrange referrals to other members of the palliative care service team.

Search palliative care specialists

Costs and payment information

St John of God Health Care private hospitals provide benefits that include reduced wait times for surgery, your choice of specialist, and access to high-quality, compassionate care.

We provide a range of ways to pay for your treatment.