End of Life Care

End of Life care helps all those with advance, progressive, incurable illness to live as well as possible until they die. It enables the supportive and palliative care needs of both patient and family to be identified and met throughout the last phase of life and into bereavement. It includes management of pain and other symptoms and provision of psychological,  social, spiritual and practical support. (Department of Health, National End of Life Care Strategy, 2008)

When a patient's health care team determines that their illness can no longer be controlled, curative treatment comes to an end. However, the patient's care continues but the care focuses on making the patient comfortable and relieving symptoms. Patients may receive medication and treatments to control pain and other symptoms, such as constipation, nausea, and shortness of breath to enable them to live as well as possible.

Some patients remain at home during this time, while others still need care and treatment from a hospital or other facility. Either way, services are available to help patients and their families with the medical, psychological, and spiritual issues surrounding the approach to the end of life. A hospice often provides such services in conjunction with other medical / nursing organisations.

The time at the end of life is different for each person. Each individual has unique needs for information and support. The patient's and family's questions and concerns about the end of life should be discussed with the health care team as they arise.

Dorothy House provides end of life care in conjunction with local health care teams.

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Review date: November 2012