Palliative care

Palliative care is care for a person at the end of their life.

What is palliative care

Palliative care aims to give the person their best quality of life and comfort. Palliative care can help to manage physical symptoms, like pain or nausea. It can also help with emotional, spiritual, cultural and social needs. Palliative care can also support family and carers.

Palliative care can be given home or at a hospital or hospice.

The person you care for may need palliative care for weeks or months, or sometimes longer.

How to get palliative care

Talk with your doctor about your options. Not all places provide end-of-life care, so try to plan ahead and choose the right option for the person you care for.

Palliative Care Australia and the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care have more information on palliative care.