People often ask what is palliative care and how is it different to other services?

• Palliative Care is the continuing active care of patients and their families, at a time when the medical expectation is no longer a cure.  The aim is to improve the patients quality of life by maximising pain control while relieving any other distressing symptoms.
• Palliative Care recognises and responds to physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs, which may be experienced by patients and their family – adults and children.  Where necessary the service also extends to support in grief and bereavement.
• Palliative Care is concerned with ordinary people, who find themselves facing extraordinary difficult situations where they have to cope with changes in all aspects of their life, their work, their finances, their health and their family etc.
• Palliative Care is seen as complementing and not replacing the care provided by other health care professionals in hospital and community settings.
• Home Care is provided by the Palliative Care Teams working in co-operation with the patients General Practitioner and Public Health Nurses.
• The Service is available to patients with a diagnosis of cancer or a life limiting illness such as Motor Neurone, Muscular Dystrophy or MS.
• The service is available for adults and children in the home, in hospital and in nursing homes.
• The Service is provided free of charge and is available seven days a week.