Palliative care enhances the quality of life of people with a life-limiting illness.
It may include:
Palliative care is not necessarily provided by a specialized team - all health care professionals have a role to play in providing a palliative approach to care.
A palliative approach to care can help people early in their illness. It can start at diagnosis, when treatments are taking place and when there may still be many months and years left to live.
The tools provided in this guide can assist you as you provide a palliative approach to care, which involves:
The Gold Standards Framework PIG is one of the resources used as part of the GSF programmes in end of life care. Principles and materials for The Gold Standards Framework © K Thomas, the National GSF Centre. Used with permission from the National GSF Centre in End of Life Care.
The Nova Scotia Palliative Care Competency Framework outlines shared and discipline-specific competencies for health professionals and volunteers who care for people with life-limiting conditions and their families. It also describes competencies for those who specialize or have a practice focused in palliative care. The competencies are written to emphasize the interprofessional nature of palliative care and they apply to all settings of care.