About palliative care
What is palliative care?
Palliative care is healthcare that focuses on improving the quality of life of people with life-limiting conditions. It aims to relieve pain and other symptoms, whether they are physical, emotional, or spiritual. Palliative care also provides support to families.
Care includes:
- the prevention and relief of suffering
- compassionate communication about individual and family needs and goals of care
- the early identification, assessment, and treatment of physical, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual symptoms.
Palliative care is often associated with end-of-life and cancer care, but it is available to anyone living with serious and chronic conditions like dementia and non-malignant degenerative diseases. It does not aim to slow down or speed up the dying process. It helps people live as actively as possible until death, enhancing their quality of life ensuring a peaceful and gentle death.
You do not need to stop other treatment while receiving palliative care, but you can choose to if you wish.
PalAssist has general information and advice about palliative care services in Queensland.
Call 1800 772 273 (free for Queensland residents) or chat online (from 7am to 7pm, 7 days).
Specialist palliative care
Some people with a life-limiting condition need specialist palliative care. Care is provided by health professionals who have undertaken specialist education and training in symptom control, psychological, social, spiritual and cultural care.
A referral is required to access these services.
Regional and rural patients, and their families, can access specialist palliative care services via telehealth. A referral is required from your GP, oncologist, other specialist or community nurse. Care is delivered by Specialist Palliative Rural Telehealth service (SPaRTa).
Culture and community
Queensland Health will support your cultural practices, beliefs and community needs throughout your palliative care and end-of-life journey.
Find out more about how we care for patients from specific cultural and community groups including:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- People from multicultural backgrounds
- LGBTQIA+ community
- Infants, children and young people
- People living with disability
- People living in rural and remote Queensland
- People living with mental illness
- Older Queenslanders
Translating and interpreting services
If you are receiving care in a Queensland Health facility and are hearing impaired or have difficulties communicating in English, we can organise and pay for a qualified interpreting service for you.
Find out more about translating and interpreting services including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages interpreting.
Where can you have palliative care?
You can have palliative care at:
Costs
If you have a Medicare card, care provided by Queensland Health is generally free. You may have out of pocket costs for hiring some specialist equipment. You may also have to pay for medications, dressings, services and treatments. Speak with your palliative care team or GP for more information about these costs. If you choose services beyond what Queensland Health provides, you may incur extra costs.
Palliative care in a private hospital can have extra fees. Medicare and private health insurance rebates may apply. Always check with your private insurance company and care providers to find out more about your options and potential fees.
Finding services
The National Palliative Care Service Directory provides information about specialist medical, nursing or allied health palliative care service providers, organisations and community support agencies.
Palliative care providers may include:
- doctors, including GPs, palliative care specialists and other specialist doctors
- nurses, including general and specialised nurses in the community, hospitals, palliative care units, residential aged care facilities and hospices
- allied health professionals, including social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, pharmacists, dietitians, speech pathologists and leisure therapists
- family members and informal carers
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers
- support workers, such as assistants in nursing, personal care attendants and diversional therapists
- pastoral carers/chaplains from different religious, spiritual and cultural backgrounds
- volunteers.
PalAssist can give you contacts for local services that provide at-home or in-patient palliative care.
Call 1800 772 273 (free for Queensland residents) or chat online (from 7am to 7pm, 7 days).
Planning ahead
Advance care planning involves making decisions now about future health and personal care to ensure that your values, beliefs, and preferences are known. This process helps guide future decision-making if you become unable to communicate decisions.
Advance care planning is voluntary, but it is important to make your advance care plan before an urgent issue arises.
Find more information about planning and decisions for the end of life.