- Understanding your relative or friend's illness
- Having time for yourself in the day
- Managing your relative or friend's symptoms
- Help with financial, legal and work issues
- Providing personal care for your relative or friend
- Dealing with your feelings and worries
- Who to contact when you're concerned about your friend or relative
- Looking after your own health
- Equipment to help care for your relative or friend
- Beliefs or spiritual concerns
- Talking with your relative or friend about their illness
- Practical help in the home
- What to expect in the future when caring for a friend or relative
- Getting a break from caring overnight
- Young carers
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers
- LGBTIQ+ community
Managing your relative or friend's symptoms
A large part of caring for your relative or friend can include managing their symptoms and giving medicine. Each person can experience differing symptoms depending on their illness.
Here are some useful and endorsed information, resources and links to help you further understand and manage your relative or friend’s symptoms.
Palliative Care Program
The Palliative Care team can:
- Write a medication plan.
- Explain which medicines to use to manage specific symptoms.
- Label medication boxes clearly.
- Check your understanding.
- Arrange for the pharmacy to prepare a Webster-pak. A Webster-pak makes it easier to manage medications by setting out all tablets and capsules that need to be taken at each particular time of the day, for each day of the week.
- If required, refer you to allied health professionals (e.g. physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, speech therapists)
- If you are from a non-English speaking background, an interpreter can be arranged through the Palliative Care nurse or the Palliative Care Resource Worker on 03 4215 5700
Helpful resources and links
Websites and other resources
Last Modified: Monday, 10 August 2020