What is palliative care at home?
Palliative care is a specialized type of care for people living with serious or life-limiting illnesses. The focus of palliative care is to improve quality of life for both the patient and their family by relieving symptoms such as pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue, and addressing emotional, spiritual, and practical concerns.
Palliative care can be provided alongside other medical treatments, such as cancer treatment or rehabilitation, and can be given at any stage of an illness, from diagnosis to end of life. It is provided by a team of professionals, including doctors, nurses, social workers, and carers, who work together to meet the unique needs of each patient and their family.
The goal of specialist palliative care is to improve quality of life, help with managing pain, relieve suffering, and provide support through difficult times. It is not the same as hospice care, although hospice care is a form of palliative care that is specifically focused on end-of-life care.
When compared to the end of life care or respite care, palliative care is not necessarily delivered at the end of one's life and serves people of all ages.
The main reason behind choosing palliative care at home is to remain in the most comfortable environment and surroundings. This type of care is often referred to as “hospice care at home” and Audley Care teams are highly qualified in providing such care. If you would like to discuss the ways we can help you or a loved one, please call or email us today.
Please note: An earlier delivery of palliative care may reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and the use of health services.
How can a carer help?
Everyone is entitled to high-quality palliative care, ensuring the best possible quality of life and tailored to individual needs and requirements. An involved carer will often stay longer to chat, help around the house or offer comfort on challenging days.
At Audley Care, we promise to make sure you’re comfortable and cared for, and we will never lose sight of who you are. Should you need this type of care, we offer rehabilitative support wherever possible, to extend your quality of life and support to your family, including:
- Personal care: dressing, bathing, toileting, changing continence pads
- Assisted living, managing a stoma or catheter, housekeeping duties (preparing meals, changing beds, vacuuming, dusting, doing the laundry)
- Running errands: collect prescriptions, food shopping
- Companionship
- Support with pain management and medication support
- Caring for your pet: feeding, walking
Contact us
for a confidential conversation
We understand considering home care is a big step, which is why we want you to feel confident in your decision should you choose Audley Care. Even if you’ve just started your research, we’re happy to provide you with resources and information that will help you decide if our holistic approach to home care is right for you.
Our friendly team is available to answer your questions and provide guidance on the options available to you via telephone on 0800 298 2212 or at info@audleycare.co.uk via email.
OUR CARE STANDARDS
We support the Royal College of Nursing’s guidance on palliative care / end-of-life care and have adopted the following standards:
- 24-hour support option and detailed information on the treatment plan;
- the customer and /or family is involved in all decisions related the care plan;
- we review the care plans regularly to ensure the comfort of our customer at all times;
- rehabilitative support is offered wherever possible to extend the life satisfaction.
Rest assured, any carer involved will always treat you with dignity and respect.
What people say
about Palliative care | End-of-life care with us
"We were provided with care as my husband was diagnosed as 'end of life'. We had had a few carers on and off but nothing regular as I had not liked the routine and the staff. Audley Care were receptive to our schedule/timings and have provided care with a group of about 6 regular carers. They are all delightful, bright, and professional. It is a pleasure to have them at our house."
- (Marilyn Difford (wife of a client) on homecare.co.uk for Audley Care Redwood)
"Audley Care provided home support for my elderly Dad for a six month period preceding his recent death. I have been extremely satisfied with the service provided, from the first phone call I made my impression was of a caring, professional organisation. Both my father and I found all the staff we encountered to be friendly, caring, reliable and efficient. I found them all to be trustworthy and I felt 'safe' in entrusting the care of my dear dad to the team at Audley. (...) I can wholeheartedly recommend the Audley Care team to others who find themselves needing a Care Provider in the future."
- (Clare J (daughter of a client) on homecare.co.uk for Audley Care St George's Place)
Is end of life care different to palliative care?
End of life care (also known as respite care) is often interchanged with the term palliative care, but end of life care extends beyond the practical management of symptoms.
Respite care consists of assisting people in the final months or years of their life and usually includes treatment. At some point, many of us may require end of life care. For many, the gradual onset of frailty will be predictable and slow, for others more rapid and unexpected.
Many care companies may avoid taking on fast-track packages, due to the fact that time is usually extremely limited for the person who is due to be released from hospital. At Audley Care our teams are ready to take on most of the incoming inquiries, ensuring that more people get to spend their last precious days at home.
If you would like to find out more about palliative or end of life care we can provide, please contact our care team.