Old people with progressive illnesses may feel that they have become a burden on their family and friends. Our highly trained team of professional care workers can provide the highest level of care to maximise comfort and quality of living. When necessary, the 24/7 live-in service is available.
If you’ve been told you may not get better, you might also have heard about palliative care. Palliative care is for people living with a terminal illness where a cure is no longer possible. It’s not just for people diagnosed with terminal cancer, but any terminal condition. It’s also for people who have a complex illness and need their symptoms controlled. Although these people usually have an advanced, progressive condition, this isn’t always the case.
Palliative care aims to treat or manage pain and other physical symptoms. It will also help with any psychological, social or spiritual needs. Treatment will involve medicines, therapies, and any other support that specialist teams believe will help their patients. It includes caring for people who are nearing the end of life. This is called end of life care.
The goal is to help you and everyone affected by your diagnosis to achieve the best quality of life. You might receive palliative care alongside particular treatments, therapies and medicines, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
End of life care is an important part of palliative care for people who are nearing the end of life. End of life care is for people who are considered to be in the last year of life, but this time-frame can be difficult to predict.
End of life care aims to help people live as well as possible and to die with dignity. It also refers to treatment during this time and can include additional support, such as help with legal matters. End of life care continues for as long as you need it.
The professionals who provide this care fall into two main groups:
1. General care
Those who give day-to-day care to patients with advanced illness and their family and friends, such as your GP, community nurses
2. Specialist care
Experts in palliative care, such as consultants in palliative medicine or clinical nurse specialists.
You’re likely to need both general and specialist care as your needs change. Palliative care can be provided in different places including in your home, in hospital, at a care home or a hospice, such as the hospices we offer.
Providing general palliative care is part of many health and social care professionals’ jobs. You might see these people regularly as part of your clinical treatment:
These professionals should be able to assess your care needs, and those of your family and friends. They should meet those needs where possible and know when to seek specialist advice. The aim of general palliative care is to provide:
Specialist palliative care services manage more complex patient care problems that cannot be dealt with by generalist services. Specialists usually work in teams to offer joined-up care and you might see one or more specialists when you’re referred. Specialist teams include:
Specialist palliative care services may be provided by the NHS, local councils and voluntary organisations. These could include inpatient and outpatient facilities and bereavement support services for relatives of patients.
A specially trained live-in carer can provide support each day according to your requirements. Carefully chosen, based on your personality and care needs, this carer will live with you at home, supporting with your day-to-day needs. With a special focus on promoting your indendence and helping you to get the most out of life, he or she is likely to become a great friend and companion.
If you’d prefer support visits at specific times of the day – or overnight – your local Page Alliance Health care branch will support you with this. From just a half-an-hour visit each week all the way through to several visits a day or nightly support, an expertly trained carer can support you to stay independent at home.
If your usual caregiver needs to take a break, we offer respite live-in care from as little as three days. If you’ve been let down by your usual carer, or they are taken ill suddenly, we can step in quickly to support you with emergency care.
No matter your situation, we pride ourselves on offering an outstanding level of service to you within the comfort of your own home.
Ultimately our clients come first – in essence we offer you a completely bespoke service.
Letting someone provide care for you at home can be a very personal experience. That’s why we care so much in what we do regards to the standard of care we deliver.
Every tiny detail of every home care service we offer is tailored to suit your needs. You decide on the level of care and support you need, for as long as you want it.