Palliative care: Facing mortality with care and support

Written and accurate as at: 13 August 2018

Although daunting to think about, at some point in your life you may be faced with a life-limiting or terminal illness, such as cancer, end-stage organ failure or dementia. Depending on your situation, palliative care may be something that needs to be considered. Importantly, palliative care neither hastens nor delays death; it seeks to allow you and your family to focus on making the most of the time remaining, whilst you receive the professional care and support that you need during this difficult stage in your life.

In this deeply moving Ted Talk, Lucy Kalanithi shares the journey that she and her husband went through after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer at just age 36. She touches on the role that palliative care played and the need to work through several important estate planning considerations, such as a will and an advanced care directive. Importantly, when it comes to palliative care, other considerations can include powers of attorneysuperannuation death benefit nominations and relevant personal insurances for example.