6. Palliative care

Palliative care is defined by The World Health Organisation as 'an approach to care that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing problems associated with life-threatening illnesses, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems including physical, psychosocial and spiritual' (WHO 2001).

Psychosocial means the mixture or combination of psychological and social. For people living with dementia this may mean factors such as loss of autonomy, grief, fear, loneliness and financial constraints. It may mean stress, anxiety, depression, social isolation, and poor relationships 

The aim of palliative care is to enhance quality of life. Palliative care also extends support to families to help them cope with their family member’s illness and their own experience of grief and loss.

So, palliative care is the holistic care of people with a life-limiting illness that seeks to maintain quality of life and to relieve suffering for the person with the illness and their family. 

This will be discussed more in Units 2, 4, 5 and 6.