Who can access palliative care?
Palliative care is for anyone, at any age, who is living with a life-limiting illness. e term ‘life-limiting illness’ refers to any disease, condition or illness that is progressive and cannot be cured. Palliative care focuses on improving and maintaining quality of life for people who are facing the challenges associated with all life-limiting illnesses. If you have been told you have a life-limiting illness, you can access palliative care in Ireland, and you can have palliative care at any stage of your illness at the level required. Ideally, Level 1 palliative care should be offered to you and begin at the time of your diagnosis and continue throughout your life-limiting illness. In the past, palliative care was associated with the treatment of patients who had a cancer diagnosis. However, it is also available if you have other types of advanced life-limiting illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neuron disease, dementia, heart failure, stroke, renal, respiratory conditions or other. Palliative care can be integrated into care plans early in the course of your illness and can be provided in conjunction with other treatments intended to prolong life, such as dialysis, chemotherapy, and medication. Providing palliative care at an early stage in a person’s illness can support better management of symptoms and complications as well as in planning for future care.
9
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker