How Can Palliative Care Benefit Someone with Cancer

A cancer diagnosis can be life changing, not only for the person affected but also for their loved ones. Alongside treatment, many people benefit from palliative care, which is focused on improving comfort, managing symptoms and supporting emotional wellbeing.

Palliative care is not only for the final stages of illness. It can be introduced at any point after diagnosis to help reduce pain, ease side effects and provide reassurance for both patients and families. With the right support in place, someone living with cancer can maintain dignity, independence and a better quality of life at home.

What is palliative care?

Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life for advanced cancer patients and relieve symptoms alongside other forms of treatment. Your cancer team will come up with a plan to treat or cure your cancer, so palliative care is used alongside this plan to support you between appointments.

Palliative care includes:

• Management of symptoms caused by cancer and treatments
• Care for your emotional, spiritual and psychological needs
• Help with practical needs, including future planning and equipment required around the home
• Assistance with showering, bathing, shaving and oral hygiene
• A support system for you and your family

Palliative care doesn’t always mean end-of-life care, but it can transition to this should your needs progress this way. It may last for many years, providing relief, support and comfort for as long as you need it.

Explore our guide on when palliative care should be offered.

Types of palliative care

There are several types of palliative care to choose from, depending on the resources available in your area:

• Hospital palliative care: Palliative care physicians may visit you while you’re in hospital getting treatment for symptoms.
• Palliative care in a clinical setting: Just like your primary doctor, you can book an appointment with a palliative care provider during their office hours.
• Live-in palliative care: Receive round-the-clock, one-on-one support from a palliative carer in the comfort of your own home.
• Residential care in an assisted living facility: Many residential and nursing homes offer palliative care for their clients.

Benefits of palliative care for cancer patients

Being diagnosed with cancer can leave you feeling isolated and alone. There are several benefits of seeking palliative care as a cancer patient, including:

Symptom monitoring

There are several ways your palliative carer may monitor and suggest managing symptoms of cancer, including both drug and non-drug treatments.

Drugs are an effective way to manage and relieve plenty of symptoms associated with cancer and its treatments. A palliative carer will keep an eye on your symptoms and report back to your doctor. Your doctor may then prescribe:

• Painkillers for a variety of painful symptoms
• Drugs to relieve itchy or dry skin
• Steroids to help with loss of appetite, swelling in the brain, difficulty swallowing and seizures
• Antibiotics and antifungals
• Anti-sickness drugs
• Antidepressants
• Sleeping tablets or muscle relaxants
• Laxatives for constipation

They may also recommend non-drug treatments to calm your symptoms. For example, if you’re experiencing lots of pain or breathlessness after a treatment session, a palliative carer might help you with doctor-prescribed:

• Specific positions to open your airways and calm the body
• Relaxation and breathing techniques
• Distraction methods to manage anxiety

Complementary therapies like massage, reflexology and acupuncture can also help relieve cancer symptoms and treatment side effects. Your palliative carer can help you get to and from appointments with these services if your doctor thinks they’ll help.

Palliative care treatments

Having an advanced form of cancer doesn’t mean there aren’t any treatments available for you. Cancer treatments are used to reduce or eliminate your symptoms, thereby increasing your quality of life going forward.

For example, chemotherapy may be offered to reduce the size of a tumour to relieve pressure on the surrounding nerves and tissues. Likewise, radiation therapy can improve pain symptoms caused by cancer in the bones.

Your palliative care team can offer several treatment recommendations, including:

• Chemotherapy
• Radiotherapy
• Hormone therapy
• Targeted cancer medication
• Immunotherapy
• Surgery
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Cryotherapy

Advocacy and advice

Palliative care includes much more than many people realise. Most cancer treatments focus on the physical cancer symptoms rather than the mental and emotional toll. That’s where palliative carers come in. If they notice you struggling or think you’ll benefit from extra support and advice, they can:

• Help you find support groups full of like-minded people going through similar things
• Book you in for workshops at your local hospice or cancer centre
• Set up counselling or complementary therapy appointments for you and your family
• Actively listen to your worries, concerns and anxieties, giving you an outlet to vent your emotions whenever needed

A palliative carer acts as your advocate and educator, helping you understand your condition and what kind of treatment you’d like to pursue. They’ll usually be your first point of contact if you have any questions or uncertainties.

Social and spiritual support

Palliative care specialists know how advanced cancer impacts families and friends as well as patients. They’ll provide support for you and your loved ones, connecting you with family counselling or teaching how they can best help you. A palliative carer also supports your loved ones as they navigate their own feelings about your condition.

Cancer patients often report becoming more spiritual after diagnosis. If this is true for you, your palliative carer can help facilitate this by organising regular visits with a chaplain, religious leader or spiritual advisor.

Improved quality of life

Palliative care has repeatedly shown to be an effective way of improving the quality of life in cancer patients. An experienced carer will address physical symptoms, reduce emotional distress and help with practical needs such as shopping, cooking and assistance with personal hygiene.

The goal of palliative care is to help you live comfortably and as actively as possible throughout your cancer journey. An experienced carer will notice changes to make sure this remains a reality.

Longer life expectancy

While palliative care won’t directly increase your life expectancy, it can manage symptoms and keep you feeling better for longer. Some studies indicate that if pain and mental health symptoms are controlled, patients may live longer or be able to tolerate treatment thanks to feeling better overall.

Transitioning to end-of-life care

While palliative care isn’t the same as end-of-life care, sometimes this is the natural progression for patients. Your cancer care team will inform you should they notice a change requiring palliative end-of-life care.

Your palliative carer will support you in any way you require in the last months, weeks and days of your life. This may include emotional support, symptom control and getting things in order.

End-of-life care can be offered in a hospital setting, care home, hospice or in your own home. Wherever you’ve been receiving your palliative care, you should be able to get end-of-life support in the same place.

How Country Cousins can help

At Country Cousins, we’re committed to offering our clients complete, compassionate palliative care from the comfort of their own homes. We’ll match you with one of our trained carers with experience in palliative and advanced cancer care, to offer you any support you need throughout this tumultuous time.

Our palliative care services include:

• Round-the-clock support
• Companionship from a trusted, friendly face
• Help around the home, including cooking and cleaning
• Assistance with showering, bathing, shaving and oral hygiene
• Completing daily tasks, like shopping and laundry
• Assistance with getting around the house
• Emotional and social support for you and your loved ones
• Help getting to and from appointments

Our palliative carers prioritise your independence, comfort and dignity. Our live-in carers fit into your schedule and life, helping you continue living how you want despite your diagnosis. We aim to uplift you and make you feel your best for as long as you need us.

Talk to our team today

As the UK’s longest-serving introductory live-in care agency, we have been providing compassionate live-in care to those who need it since 1959 – all from the comfort of their own homes.

Give us a call today on 01293 224 706. Our experienced team is on hand to help from Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. Alternatively, contact us through our online enquiry form.