What is palliative care?
Palliative care aims to relieve symptoms of cancer and improve quality of life without trying to cure the disease. It is often called supportive care. People at any stage of advanced cancer may benefit from seeing a palliative care team.
What does the palliative care team do?
Pain management is only one aspect of palliative care. The palliative care team may include doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, social workers, occupational therapists, psychologists and spiritual care practitioners. They work together to:
- maintain your quality of life by relieving physical symptoms
- support your emotional, cultural, social and spiritual needs
- provide support to families and carers
- help you feel in control of your situation and make decisions about your treatment and ongoing care.
How can you access palliative care?
Your cancer specialist or nurse can put you in touch with a palliative care team for treatment in hospital or at home. This type of care can improve quality of life from the time of diagnosis and can be given alongside other cancer treatments.
Learn more about palliative care.
Listen to our podcast episode Managing Pain when Cancer is Advanced below. This talks about some practical pain relief strategies.
→ READ MORE: Caring for someone in pain
Podcast: Managing Pain when Cancer Is Advanced
Listen to more episodes from our podcast for people affected by advanced cancer
Video: What is Palliative Care?
Watch this video to see how palliative treatment aims to manage symptoms and improve people’s quality of life without trying to cure the disease.
More resources
Professor Paul Glare, Chair of Pain Medicine, Northern Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW (clinical update); Dr Tim Hucker, Pain Specialist, Northern Beaches Hospital, Director, Northern Beaches Pain Management, NSW (clinical update); Dr Keiron Bradley, Palliative Care Consultant, Bethesda Health Care, WA; A/Prof Anne Burke, Co-Director Psychology, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, President, Australian Pain Society, Statewide Chronic Pain Clinical Network, SA, School of Psychology, The University of Adelaide, SA; Tumelo Dube, Accredited Pain Physiotherapist, Michael J Cousins Pain Management and Research Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, NSW; Prof Paul Glare (see above); Andrew Greig, Consumer; Annette Lindley, Consumer; Prof Melanie Lovell, Palliative Care Specialist HammondCare, Sydney Medical School and The University of Technology Sydney, NSW; Caitriona Nienaber, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; Melanie Proper, Pain Management Specialist Nurse Practitioner, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, QLD; Dr Alison White, Palliative Medicine Specialist and Director of Hospice and Palliative Care Services, St John of God Health Care, WA.
View the Cancer Council NSW editorial policy.
