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19 January 2025
Stories
| Home Care
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Palliative care services are not something many of us like to think about - until life compels us to.
Perhaps as a result, many Australian seniors remain unaware of the care options available to them, particularly government-subsidised palliative care at home, which is a largely untapped resource for seniors.
Specialist end of life care can empower you to achieve your goal of a natural, dignified death, with services delivered to you right in the comfort of your own home - offering compassionate, expert support at a heavily subsidised rate.
Palliative care is a specialised type of care that enables an individual and their family to cope with a life-limiting illness, providing a multi-disciplined, coordinated approach to care.
This is because most people receiving in-home palliative care services are living with multiple chronic conditions simultaneously.
Palliative home care teams are highly skilled in managing the symptoms arising from these illnesses and specialise in optimising the person’s quality of life.
Palliative care is highly tailored to meet the unique needs of the person receiving it and can incorporate many different services from a range of experts.
Some of the most prominent features of in-home palliative care include:
Palliative care is delivered by a multidisciplinary team that works to address every need of the person and their family, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.
A palliative home care team will usually comprise:
Palliative care is often mistaken for end of life care, but in fact, end of life care is a specific component – and the final stage - of palliative care.
End of life care at home relieves many of the common physical symptoms associated with dying, such as breathlessness, pain, or anxiety.
During this time, the person’s palliative care team provide more intensive care to facilitate a natural, dignified death in line with the person’s wishes.
These wishes are recorded formally in what is known as an “Advance Care Plan.”
The Advance Care Plan is a communication process that enables individuals to make plans about their future health care for when they are no longer in a position to communicate their own healthcare choices.
The Advance Care Plan’s main objective is to detail the person’s wishes for their end of life care and is reviewed and updated throughout the palliative care process. It ensures that the person receives the end of life care they want.
Learn more about Advance Care Planning, below
Palliative care at home can be funded through a Home Care Package, meaning that you can access all of the available palliative care services at a subsidised rate.
Home Care Packages (HCPs) are a government-funded service that enables older Australians to continue living independently in the comfort of their own homes for as long as possible.
There are four Home Care Package levels, and, depending on your requirements and care needs, they can include a wide range of services – including palliative care delivered right in the comfort of your own home.
You can learn more, here.
At BaptistCare, our trained palliative care teams work with a strong people-first approach. They take time to connect with each person’s story and understand who they were before they became ill.
If you are at the beginning of your or your loved one’s palliative care journey, our team are here to help you.
Our expert team can guide you through the care and support services we have available.
Please call 1300 275 227 (Monday to Friday, from 8:00am to 6:00pm) or email us at ask@baptistcare.org.au. Alternatively, complete the enquiry form below, and one of our helpful team members will be in touch.
