Palliative Care
in Dumfries and Galloway
Palliative Care in Dumfries and Galloway
Palliative care is an approach for people and their loved ones living with a life limiting or life threatening condition. There are various definitions, but at the heart of a Palliative Care approach is helping the person with the condition and their loved ones to live life as well as possible until they die, whether that is years, months, weeks or days. It can be provided alongside other life-prolonging treatments such as medication, dialysis, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In order to help, a palliative care approach looks at the person as a whole, addressing physical, emotional, spiritual or social (including financial) problems the person or those caring for them may experience. Common questions about palliative care are found in our FAQ section.
Other sources of information from national groups about palliative and end of life care are:
Who provides palliative care?
Palliative care is provided by a whole range of people, including friends and family, schools, and the community the person with a life-limiting illness lives in. Health and social care professionals providing palliative care include hospital and community doctors, nurses, allied health professionals (such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, speech and language therapists), pharmacists, social workers, care assessors, care at home providers and care home workers.
Occasionally, people need specialist help and support, provided by the Specialist Palliative Care Team. Other staff across Dumfries and Galloway can seek advice from the Specialist Team. Find out more about the specialist team and how to access the team by clicking on the link here. The secretaries working with the team can be contacted on 01387 241983.