PALLIATIVE CARE AT HOME

Compassionate Care When It’s Needed Most

Coping with a terminal illness is a struggle for everyone involved. Those living with a
terminal illness and their loved ones need specialist support and care to help them through.
From practical support with pain management to offering a shoulder to cry on, palliative
care is critical.

Compassionate palliative care can make the most difficult days that little bit easier. It allows
a patient and their loved ones to make the most of what time they have left. It can also
provide much-needed companionship to lonely individuals in their last days.

 

Palliative care is provided by hospitals, care homes, and hospices. Many of the
establishments SSG Care Services work with are adept at providing specialist
palliative care. Highly-trained, compassionate carers can offer whatever support is needed.
End-of-life care is similar to palliative care. It also focuses on a patient’s comfort and well-
being toward the end of their life. Many of our own specially selected staff are experienced
in providing end-of-life care. Our end-of-life care is focused on allowing a client to live as
well as possible in the time they have left.

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is a specialised form of care for a person with a terminal illness. As the illness
cannot be cured, palliative care’s focus is on making a patient as comfortable as possible
during their final days. Things like pain management and the alleviation of distressing
symptoms are paramount.

It’s not only practical management of an illness that palliative care is concerned with. It also
encompasses emotional, psychological and spiritual support. That’s both for the patient and
for their relatives and loved ones. Palliative care is closely associated with the end of life
care. It is not, however, only provided toward the end of a patient’s illness. It can also be
offered in the earlier stages, alongside other therapies to treat their condition. There are
lots of different elements to palliative care:

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• Pain Management – Easing pain through medications and other treatments.

• Alleviating Other Symptoms – Providing highly skilled management of a wide range of symptoms. These can include nausea, constipation etc. Alleviating the management of side effects caused by painkillers can also be important.

• Personal Care – Help with washing, dressing and using the toilet when required.

• Continence Care – Changing continence pads or managing catheters and stomas.

• Company & Emotional Support – Emotional, psychological and spiritual support.

• Both for a patient and their loved ones. This can include things like providing companionship with a patient over a cup of tea.

Types of Palliative Care

Palliative care is a highly specialised form of care. It requires skilled, compassionate staff
with extensive experience. There are three main types of palliative care. They are best
categorised according to where they are provided.

Hospital Palliative Care

The most common type of palliative care is provided in a hospital. This is generally delivered
over a short period and often follows a specific incident that has caused a terminally ill
patient to be unexpectedly admitted. Specialist healthcare professionals will monitor
symptoms and deliver the required care.

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Hospital palliative care is often only provided in extreme circumstances. Once a patient’s
most significant symptoms are alleviated, they will likely be discharged. If they cannot
return home, they’ll be transferred to one of the establishments mentioned below.

 

Residential Care Home Palliative Care

Many residential care homes can provide palliative care. If they have specialised staff, they
can help a resident to manage their illness on a 24/7 basis. Not all care homes have the
capability to provide palliative care. Those who do, may also only be able to provide it in the
earlier stages of an illness.

Hospice Palliative Care

Hospices are mostly associated with offering palliative care at the end of a patient’s life.
Their staff are all experienced in making those difficult final days as comfortable as possible.
Relatives and loved ones are often able to make regular visits. They will also receive support
from hospice staff.

Some hospices also provide palliative care in the earlier stages of terminal illnesses. This is
often in the form of hospice daycare. Patients can visit during the day for treatment,
company and support. They are then able to return to their own home each night.

End of Life Care at Home

An alternative to palliative care is the end of life care at home. This service allows people to
spend their time at home, surrounded by family, friends, and people whom they know and
trust. As well as providing reassurance, this type of care can also be a source of peace of
mind for the family and friends of the patient.

Being able to provide care at home instead of a hospital or hospice is less disruptive for the
patient. Moreover, this is often easier for friends and family who want to visit the patients
at home. You can also be reassured our nurses and carers provide care that is assessed to
the high standards of the Care Quality Commission.

SSG Care Services End of Life Care

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SSG Care Services works with many establishments which provide outstanding
palliative care. We do not ourselves offer a palliative care service though. What we do
provide is compassionate and individual end-of-life care for elderly individuals.

Our highly skilled staff will always put the individual at the centre of their end-of-life care
provision. Each person’s needs and wishes will be listened to and used to tailor their care.
The aim of SSG Care Services end of life care is to make a client’s remaining
time as comfortable and happy as possible.

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We offer both practical and emotional help to our clients and their loved ones. When the
time comes, we also understand the importance of dignity in death. All beliefs or wishes
expressed by each client will always be respected.

As an organisation, we are licensed and regulated in England by the Care Quality
Commission (CQC).

To find out how we can help support you in your time of need contact us today. Our friendly staff are here to help.

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