The majority of people diagnosed with a life-limiting or terminal illness wish to spend the final stages of their life at home. 70% of Australians want to die at home, but if you are faced with the challenge of assisting your loved one to transition home for palliative care you may not know where to start. We’ve created this step-by-step guide to arranging in-home palliative care to help you navigate the process.
Step 1: Speak to a GP or specialist
Palliative care is available to anyone with a life-limiting illness and can be provided in a hospital, hospice or in your home. Your first step to arranging palliative care at home is to speak to your local GP or a medical specialist or other health provider. They will confirm the need for palliative care and can provide referrals to community palliative care services and specialist palliative care providers.
Step 2: Select your Multidisciplinary team
Your GP, treating specialist or hospital team may refer you to a specialist palliative care service or community-based palliative care provider appropriate for your needs and location.
Information about local specialist palliative care services can also be accessed through state-based health services and the National Palliative Care Service Directory.
Palliative care is delivered through a multidisciplinary team approach, which may include specialist palliative care clinicians, General Practitioners, nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacists, support workers and care management teams working together to support the client and their family.
Prestige Inhome Care works alongside your GP, your hospital team and specialist palliative care providers to help ensure care is coordinated, safe and seamlessly delivered at home.
Step 3: Access funding
Government-subsidised care
If the person is aged 65 years old or older:
You can apply via My Aged Care to be assessed for government-subsidised home care services. What you need to contribute (co-contributions) to your home care will depend on your services and financial situation.
End-of-Life Pathway
If a person over the age of 65 has been diagnosed with 3 months or less to live and wishes to remain at home, they may be eligible for the End-of-Life Pathway under the Support at Home program.
Under the End-Of-Life Pathway funding of up to $25,000 is available over 12 weeks. If an older person has funding remaining, they can continue using it for an additional 4 weeks, providing up to 16 weeks of services in total.
Assistive Technology and Home Modifications
Depending on your needs and situation, you may also be able to access equipment to help with mobility and equipment to enable you receive nursing care at home. This type of support is available through the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme, under the Support at Home program.
If the person is under the age of 65:
People under the age of 65 may be able to access funding for some in-home palliative care services via Medicare, state/territory health services, public hospitals and community palliative care teams. This includes specialist palliative care nurses visiting your home, equipment arranged through health services, pain and symptom management.
People living with a disability under the age of 65 can apply for funding via the NDIS but generally this does not cover palliative care related supports. The NDIS may continue to fund disability-related supports that are unrelated to the palliative diagnosis or that complement end-of-life care.
For more information about what palliative care funding and support is available for people under the age of 65 visit: Palliative Care and other options .
Private health insurance may also cover some costs if you use private health services.
Private palliative care at home
If you require care more urgently, or need additional hours or services you may opt to fund your loved one’s palliative care privately. Prestige Inhome Care can help you bring your loved one home from a facility or hospital. Alternatively, we can set up palliative care for a loved one already living in their own home, quickly and seamlessly. We can facilitate shared care with your GP, hospital team and any specialist palliative care providers. We provide support during those critical moments and any kind of extra care including nursing visits and even overnight care as needed. From a few hours a week right through to 24 hour care, private in-home care can be tailored to your specific needs at every stage of the palliative journey.
Step 4. Arrange a home assessment
To support care at home, an assessment can be completed to understand your care needs, home environment, safety considerations and support requirements.
Prestige Inhome Care works closely with clients, families and treating healthcare professionals to help coordinate safe and responsive in-home support services.
Care and support arrangements are tailored to the person’s changing needs and delivered in coordination with the treating healthcare team.
Step 5: Set up services and equipment
Your treating team and care providers can help coordinate the services, equipment and supports required for care at home.
Depending on your needs, this may include:
- Equipment such as hospital beds, pressure-relieving mattresses, mobility aids, bathroom equipment and oxygen therapy equipment
- Medication administration and guidance to support pain and symptom management at home
- Nursing and personal care support services
- Planning for changes in care needs and escalation pathways if symptoms worsen
Prestige Inhome Care works collaboratively with clients, families and treating healthcare professionals to help coordinate safe, flexible and responsive in-home support services.
At Prestige we provide a range of in-home care services including:
- Personal Care: Showering, dressing and grooming, toileting and hygiene, assistance with mobility
- Domestic Support: light housekeeping and household chores, meal preparation, grocery shopping, paying bills etc.
- Respite Care: in-home care providing temporary relief for primary caregivers by arranging for a carer to provide support – from a few hours up to 24/7 care
- Transport: Transportation to and from appointments, social outings, errands and activities
- In-home Nursing: Wound and injury care, end-of-life comfort medication management, complex care, stoma care, catheter management, diabetes management, health and wellbeing checks
- 24 Hour Care: Round the clock care which can include any of the services listed here, delivered by a team of carers and nurses
- Companionship and Facilitating Final Wishes: E.g. Fulfilling cultural traditions, visits to special places
- Home and Garden Maintenance: lawn mowing and garden care, handyman services, minor repairs, clearing gutters, etc.
- Home Equipment Support and Bereavement Support: Organising hospital beds, pressure mattresses etc, and supporting you with after-death care
Step 6: Advance Care Planning
Advance care planning is a process to help you plan your medical care in advance. It is important because there may come a time in the future when you or your loved one may become too unwell to make decisions for yourself.
Doctors, carers and other medical professionals will refer to your advance care plan if the person receiving palliative care can no longer communicate or make decisions.
Advance care planning involves talking to your family, friends and carers about what you or loved one wants when it comes to future medical treatment and care. It can be an informal process or it can be more formal whereby you have documents that are legally recognised.
Often, people have not previously considered whether their loved one would feel comfortable with them assisting with intimate tasks such as bathing. While these are sensitive discussions, they are essential in helping families understand what care at home may involve, what support may be required, and how funding may need to respond as needs change over time.
While these conversations can feel confronting at first, this practical forward planning is one of the most helpful parts of our support. It reduces stress, improves preparedness, and makes it easier to respond as care needs increase.
Speak to our Care Specialists
If you or your loved one is in need of palliative care at home, Prestige Inhome Care is always available to answer your questions, provide information, and support you in making the best decision for your care needs.
Feel free to reach out for a no-obligation consultation. Together, we can find the best solution for you. Contact our friendly team on 1300 10 30 10 or via our online form: Contact Us – Prestige Inhome Care .