Palliative Care Week - 8-14 September 2019
This week is Palliative Care Week across Ireland, a time to highlight the huge difference that palliative care makes in the lives of patients, carers and families affected by health issues, including cancer.
Palliative care is a specific type of care to make the quality of life better for patients and their families when their illness can’t be cured. This includes helping with symptoms like pain and nausea, but also emotional support.
Irish Cancer Society Night Nurses provide palliative care for cancer patients in the comfort of the patients’ homes where they can spend their remaining days surrounded by their loved ones.
Night Nurses work night and day, 365 days a year, to keep the patient comfortable and free of pain. Night Nurse bookings are made through the health professional looking after the patient, usually a GP, public health nurse, or member of the community palliative care team or palliative care services in hospital.
The service is free for patients and their loved ones and funded entirely by donations and support from the Irish public during campaigns like Daffodil Day and Cups Against Breast Cancer.
