Information and Support for Carers
Families and other carers are usually central to the provision
of good palliative care. The reactions of family members will be
varied and require individual consideration by the health care
professionals in their service delivery. Adequate support and
direction for the family throughout the illness trajectory
can lead to positive memories and health outcomes for members in
the future.
Support groups and carer education can be an
important resource for people who are providing care.
Support groups can provide social support, information and respite
for the carer.
Refer to Carersfor
more information on support and other useful leaflets
and publications are available. Also refer to Carer
education for health care professionals.
Respite Care
Access to professional and palliative care volunteer respite can
be organised for:
- Planned or unplanned respite as a result of a crisis or
emergency situation
- Regular respite, for instance a few hours a week, or
arranged irregularly as required
- A couple of hours, overnight or for several
days
- Respite in the home, in hospital or other facilities
within the community.
Each region in Victoria has a Carer
Respite Service and the palliative care service in your
region can often provide a trained palliative care volunteer.
They can also advise you on the most appropriate local carer
and respite
services.
Spiritual Care and Cultural awareness in palliative
care
Improving
Supportive and Palliative Care for Adults with
Cancer provides clear
recommendations for incorporating spiritual care into practice,
developing a spiritually aware workforce and further research in
this area.
An understanding of cultural practices may be helpful in
understanding expressions of spiritual need. Refer to the Multicultural Palliative Care Guidelines
(1999).
Sexuality and palliative care
Refer to Sexuality
and palliative care for resources that provide an overview
of the importance of discussing sexuality with patients who
have chronic illness and how an ability to work with patients can
contribute to quality of life. Medications that can impair
sexual function are also identified.
At Time of Death
As death approaches, the family/carer may need guidance on what
to expect and how to help the dying person as well as what to do
after the death. Twenty-four hour contact details to health
care professional advice should be available at this time. The
process of
dying leaflet
is available to assist with this guidance.
Medical requirements
The medical practitioner is responsible for notifying the
Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages of the cause of death.
Health care professionals should also be aware of deaths that must
be reported to the coroner.
Refer to Medical
requirements which sets out guidelines for reportable
deaths and other useful websites.
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