Understanding Palliative Care:
What it is, how it can help, and the support available to you and your family.
Myth busting:
Palliative care is often misunderstood, carrying the reputation that it is only for the very end of life, when someone is dying. In reality, it can be an added layer of support from diagnosis, continuing alongside treatment to improve comfort, quality of life and the overall experience of care.
Support,
Choice,
Connection
& Planning
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Support, Choice, Connection & Planning *
“Palliative care is only for the last days of life.”
Not necessarily. It can be introduced much earlier, sometimes months or years before the end of life.
“It means there is nothing more that can be done.”
There is often a great deal that can still be done. The focus may simply broaden from treating illness alone to also supporting comfort, quality of life and what matters most to the person.
“It means stopping treatment.”
Not always. Palliative care can sit alongside treatments aimed at controlling illness, improving symptoms or helping someone live longer.
“It is only about pain relief.”
Pain and symptom management are important, but palliative care also considers emotional, practical, social, cultural and spiritual needs, as well as support for family.
“Palliative care only happens in hospice.”
It can happen at home, in hospital, in aged care, in the community or through hospice services.
Earlier palliative support can improve your care journey:
Palliative care is focused on quality of life, comfort, dignity, and support for people living with serious or life-limiting illness.
It is not only for the final days or weeks of life.
Palliative care can be helpful much earlier, alongside treatment, and can support people and their families through changing needs, difficult decisions, symptoms, uncertainty and future planning.
It may include support with:
managing pain and other symptoms
understanding illness, treatment options and what may happen next
talking about goals, values and priorities
planning ahead for future care
supporting family, carers and children
emotional, social, cultural and spiritual wellbeing
navigating complex health and care systems
It creates space for honest conversations, thoughtful planning, comfort and connection, while keeping the person - not just the illness - at the centre of care.
Palliative support: where to start?
You do not need to wait for a specialist palliative care referral to receive palliative support.
Many aspects of palliative care - symptom relief, emotional support, planning ahead and conversations about what matters - can begin with your usual healthcare team soon after a serious or complex diagnosis. Starting these conversations early can give you and your family more time, choice and space to think about what matters most, without needing to make every decision at once.
Earlier Palliative Support can come from:
GPs and Nurse Practitioners: symptom management, planning ahead, medication review and coordinating care
Practice, District and Community Nurses: monitoring symptoms, practical support and care at home
Disease-Specific Teams such as oncology, respiratory, cardiac, renal or neurology: integrating comfort, quality-of-life and future-care discussions alongside treatment
Paediatric Teams can support children and young people with symptoms, care planning and coordination, involving specialist palliative care when needed.
Allied Health Professionals: social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians and psychologists
Māori and Community Health Providers: cultural, practical and whānau-centred support
Aged Residential Care Teams: can provide ongoing comfort, symptom support and care planning, involving specialist palliative care when needed.
Hospice Services: which in some areas can provide advice, education, carer support, day programmes or other support before someone needs intensive specialist input
In New Zealand, palliative care is often described as Primary or Specialist Palliative Care.
Primary palliative care is provided by your usual healthcare team, while specialist palliative care is provided by dedicated teams when symptoms, decisions or support needs become more complex.
You can ask your GP or Healthcare Team what Primary Palliative Support is available in your area.
What does Hospice palliative care provide?
Hospice services provide Specialist Palliative Care for adults and children whose illness and support needs require additional expertise.
Hospice care is not just about managing symptoms or the final days of life - it looks at the whole person and can also support their family.
Depending on the local hospice and what you need, support may include pain and symptom management, specialist nursing and medical care, emotional and cultural support, practical advice, support for family and carers, spiritual care and bereavement support. Care may be provided at home, in the community, in residential care, hospital or within a hospice facility - hospice is not simply a place that someone goes to die.
Hospice services vary around New Zealand, but care is free for people receiving their services. You can usually be referred by your GP or healthcare team and some hospices also accept self-referrals.
Want to learn more about hospice?
Hospice New Zealand provides information about hospice and palliative care, including what hospice care involves, support available for individuals and families, how referrals work, frequently asked questions and a directory to help you find your local hospice.
If you are wondering whether palliative or hospice support might be helpful, it can be hard to know what to ask or whether it is “the right time” to bring it up. Starting these conversations earlier can give you and your family more time to understand what support is available, talk about what matters most and make plans gradually, rather than having to make difficult decisions during a crisis.
Earlier conversations can support more proactive care: helping you prepare for possible changes, clarify your priorities and make sure the people involved in your care understand what is important to you. They do not mean making every decision now or assuming the worst; they simply create more space, choice and shared understanding.
Not sure how to start the conversation?
The Caring Conversations Project offers practical resources to help you prepare for these discussions, identify questions you may want to ask, reflect on your values and priorities, and feel more confident talking with your healthcare team and the people close to you.