Wednesday 6th September 2023, 6pm — 7.30pm
If you or someone you know has pancreatic cancer, planning for the future might feel difficult. You may have heard of the term ‘palliative care’, but feel unsure about what this means. You may feel unclear on who is there to support you towards the end of life.
‘Palliative care’ means providing specialist care to manage symptoms such as pain, as well as emotional and practical support. The aim is to help you live as well as possible for as long as possible. Some people find the thought of palliative care upsetting, but these services aren’t just for people at the end of their life. They are available at any point during treatment or care.
We were joined by Specialist Nurse Nicola Murphy and Consultant in Palliative Medicine Dr James Davies at this webinar for patients and carers, where we discussed palliative care, including planning for the end of life. Read on to find out more and watch the recording.
The end of life was touched upon throughout, but is discussed in detail towards the end of the webinar. This section covered:
One of the preconceptions of palliative care is that it’s all about end of life care; it’s all about the last days of life. Now, that is an important part of what we do, and I think it’s important to allow people the opportunity to think about those things, but it’s not just that. There’s lots of living to do before that. And we try to help facilitate that.
We have information about what may happen in the last few months of life. You can find out more about the symptoms people with pancreatic cancer may get towards the end of their life and how these are managed. There is also information about how to get the care and support you might need, and information for family members.
“I am a Palliative Medicine Consultant working at City Hospice, providing community palliative care to the people of Cardiff in their own homes. I also work as an Honorary Tutor on the Palliative Medicine for Healthcare Professionals MSc course at Cardiff University. What motivates me is improving quality of life and end of life care for people and their loved ones, providing support and guidance as a palliative care team when people need it the most.”
Nicci has been nursing for 20 years and started her career as a district nurse, going on to specialise in palliative care, both in the community and in a hospice setting. For the last 8 years, Nicci has worked in oncology in a city hospital providing information, support and practical advice to individuals and their families’ affected by a cancer diagnosis, including pancreatic cancer.
