National Palliative Care Week 2020

National Palliative Care Week’s theme this year is ‘Palliative Care… It’s more than you think!’.

Palliative care is not just end-of-life care, it is care that helps people live their life to the fullest when living with a life-limiting or terminal illness. The theme seeks to broaden the community’s perceptions and understanding of palliative care, demonstrating its role in supporting the physical, emotional, spiritual and social needs of people living with a life-limiting illness, their families and their care team.

National Palliative Care Week also presents an opportunity to highlight the work of not only hundreds of palliative care specialists and palliative care nurses, but also the support provided by general practitioners, volunteers, allied health professionals, community workers and everyone who works within the palliative care sphere.

Palliative care workers and services have a deep understanding of the difficult situations people near the end of their life or with a life-limiting illness often face. They can be instrumental in balancing a variety of perspectives and incorporating the psychological, social, and spiritual concerns of patients, their families and the staff caring for them. They are here to help, and can also offer crucial support to help loved ones and families through their time of grief and bereavement.

Palliative care is available to people with a serious and life-limiting illness and their families, to assist in managing their symptoms, improve their quality of life and help them to live as well as possible, for as long as possible.

For more information about National Palliative Care Week – it’s more than you think (24 – 30 May 2020) visit the Palliative Care Australia website.

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