National Palliative Care Week
National Palliative Care Week National Palliative Care Week (May 22 – 28) seeks to increase community awareness of the many benefits of palliative care.
This year NCN Health thought it was a great opportunity to share with the community the service that is available locally – Moira Palliative Care.
The Moira Palliative Care office is located in the Numurkah Campus of NCN Health and provides services to residents of the Moira Shire. The service reaches from Barmah to Bundalong and Lake Rowan to Bearii.
The Moira Palliative care team includes three Community Palliative Care Nurses who coordinate the client’s care in conjunction with the GP and relevant specialists and teams. We offer an Occupational Therapist who can assist the client’s with equipment hire to ensure comfort at home such as beds and electric lift recliners. There is also a Social Worker/Bereavement Counsellor, Volunteer Coordinator, Volunteer Teams and an Administration Officer.
Clinical Nurse Consultants visit weekly from Goulburn Region Palliative Care Consultancy Service and assist with the more complex clients. The team also works closely with NCN Health District Nurses in Nathalia, Cobram and Numurkah, together with those from Yarrawonga Health. The District Nurses provide essential day to day care for the clients.
Finally, we partner with “Baking from the Heart” a volunteer group who provide sweet treats every 2nd month to clients from Cobram, Nathalia and Numurkah. If you’d like some more info on this fantastic initiative you can check out their Facebook page, Baking from the Heart – Numurkah.
Moira Palliative Care is funded to see clients in their homes, however we can review a patient who is in a health care service (for example, aged care) for advice on symptom management if required. The GP’s also have access to Doctors at Goulburn Region Palliative Care Consultancy Service and St Vincent’s Palliative Care whom they can contact for advice.
If a client is admitted into a health care service Moira Palliative Care will liaise with that service to assist with continuity of care and ensure the process of change of care is as streamlined as possible.
NCN Health District Nurse, Rachel O’Dwyer explains why Moira Palliative Care is such an essential local service.
“The theme for National Palliative Care Week is, ‘It’s Your Right’, highlighting the right of all Australians to access high quality palliative care, when and where they need it. This theme accurately reflects what we are trying to achieve.
“Palliative Care is so important because it enables the clients to remain at home as long as they wish, in a supportive environment, surrounded by the people they choose. People are living longer with cancer diagnosis due to improvements in treatment options such as immunotherapy. This means the role of Palliative Care can be assisting with symptom management, psychological/spiritual care, Advanced Care Planning and Carer Support.”
She said clients who remain stable for approximately 6 months can be discharged from the Palliative Care Service and re-referred when their condition deteriorates.
“Early referral is imperative as Moira Palliative Care is not just for end of life care. Palliative Care is helping people live their best life in the time they have left.”
