Palliative Care

Palliative Care is the term used to describe the care needed when a loved one has an illness that cannot be cured. Its purpose is two-fold, providing comfort, pain management and medication, alongside emotional and spiritual support – for both Members and their families. 

This type of care can be delivered in several ways:

• Residential care – This option enables you and your loved one to access the full suite of facilities available, with round-the-clock professional support.
• At home – If appropriate for the Member, at-home care can provide the additional benefit of familiar surroundings.

We strive to co-design care plans with our Members and their families for such a time; however, this is not always possible. In these circumstances, our experienced team will work with you to develop an appropriate care plan in earnest.

Palliative care covers a spectrum which is broader than end-of-life care. An incurable illness may require palliative care for several years, enabling the Member to live well for as long as possible. How soon this kind of care may be needed wholly depends on the Member, their illness, their family situation and, of course, their own personal preferences.

Palliative care can take the form of residential care, home visits or Loveday Day Club membership and may be frequent or infrequent, depending on the needs of the Member and their family or support network.

Developing a care plan early on can help to reduce the stress of dealing with an incurable illness. It can also ensure a care team is on hand, which has experience of the Member and their health and family circumstances.

End-of-life care falls within the palliative spectrum and is usually planned with Members and families along their care journey with Loveday. Sometimes advance planning is not possible, at which point our specialist team is on hand to support in earnest.

Palliative care can be part of a short-, medium- or long-term care plan, depending on the Member’s needs. Typical factors to be considered include:

• Family situation: the support network around the Member, their availability, work situation and own health should all be considered.
• Member wishes: Members may want to improve their social setting, and they may be keen to get outdoors more or try new experiences. These personal preferences can all be taken into account when designing their care plan.
• Medical needs: there are often medical parameters which need to be accounted for, whether this relates to medication to be administered within a certain schedule or particular equipment which is required for medical support.

End-of-life care planning could be considered to be similar; however, of course, this is the end of our Member’s care journey, so family and Members should consider where their loved one wants to be. This is often either within the residence where they’ve lived well and established friendships over a given period or at home with their memories and extended family. Our team works closely with families to establish the right care plan, to be delivered at the right time for our Members.