Palliative care

Palliative Care (Hospice Care Service)

Palliative care is a comprehensive approach to treating serious illness that focuses on the physical, psychological, spiritual, and existential needs of the person. The goal of palliative care is to achieve the best quality of life available to the person by relieving suffering through the control of pain and symptoms as well as support for family and carers.

A person receiving palliative care has an active, progressive and far-advanced disease, with little or no prospect of cure. Maximising the quality of a person's life is achieved by coordinating and delivering a range of services in response to the individual needs of the person being cared for, their family and friends.

Palliative care:

  • affirms life and treats dying as a normal process; 
  • neither hastens nor postpones death; 
  • provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms; 
  • integrates the physical, psychological, social, emotional and spiritual aspects of care, with coordinated assessment and management of each person's needs; 
  • offers a support system to help people live as actively as possible until death; and
  • offers a support system to help the family cope during the person's illness and in their own bereavement.
Referral

Clients need not have exhausted all disease modifying treatments before accepting referral to SEPC services. For many, a palliative care approach may be introduced as part of the ongoing and comprehensive medical care being received, while others may need only intermittent specialist services.
  • The Hospice Care Service only accepts referrals from medical practitioners.
  • For patients currently receiving other Silver Chain services a medical referral is required.
  • Doctors can make referral 24 hours a day by calling Silver Chain on (08) 9242 0242. A fully completed referral form is required. Download the referral form.
  • Services are provided for patients within the metropolitan area of Perth as defined by the Health Department of Western Australia. 

Our Services - Model of Care

Silver Chain's Hospice Care Service provides specialist health care for people living at home with a life-limiting illness.

Using a holistic approach recognises that the illness affects the whole person and their family / carer(s) in many ways - physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

We strive to offer emotional and practical support to the client and family / carers in the client's home (including residential aged care facilities), and symptom management including pain relief.

With our team of nurses, doctors, counsellors, social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and trained volunteers, SEPC can offer:

  • Physical care and practical supports
  • Symptom management (pain, nausea etc)
  • Support to discuss concerns and feelings
  • Counselling
  • Links to other services (community care, disability support , government, healthcare etc)
  • Respite options
  • Spiritual support
  • Consultancy

Our services are provided to you free of charge, though some costs may be incurred for the purchasing of medical supplies. Please feel free to discuss any financial concerns you may have in relation to these associated costs with any of our team.

Consultancy Services

In addition to our in home palliative care service we also provide two consultancy services to other providers:

Metropolitan Nurse Consultancy Service
The Metropolitan Nurse Consultancy Service offers a free specialist palliative care advisory service to facilities which provide 24 hour a day (including public holidays) registered nursing care.  The Metropolitan Nurse Consultancy Service will provide specialist nursing advice, assessment, procedures, staff training and telephone follow up to meet the needs of a specific patient in the short term.  To access this service, requests can be made through our Customer Operations Centre 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling (08) 9242 0101.

Rural Telephone Nurse Advisory Service
The Rural Telephone Nurse Advisory Service provides rural health professional staff 24 hour access to prompt, convenient and free palliative care expertise from our Hospice Care nurse consultants to support the needs of an individual patient.  This free service is available to rural health professional staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1800 420 102. 

Children's Bereavement Support Program - Blue Skies

Blue Skies is a bereavement support program for children aged 8 - 12 years.  Blue Skies is an innovative program developed by palliative care social workers for children who are grieving a loss of a parent or primary care giver.  The program educates about loss, grief and change through psycho-educational sessions, play and art that can help them through the bereavement process and develop coping strategies and trust.  For more information and details about upcoming workshops, please click here.

Brochures
Hospice care service bereavement support
Palliative care - helpful comfort measures


Silver Chain’s Palliative Care staff featured on ABC Television, April 2011.