The Catholic Weekly 22 August 2021

catholicweekly.com.au 4 NEWS 22, August, 2021 MANY PEOPLE with a life-limiting illness are put off by the thought of being re- ferred to palliative care be- cause they think it means they are about to die or that it will hasten a premature death. These are the two most commonmisconceptions that Many don’t understand palliative care’s advantages and miss out on the huge benefits it provides, says leading specialist ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues Patients don’t get what we offer We will be there with you: Dr Peter Roach says many have the wrong idea of what palliative care is and consequently shy away from it. Meanwhile, says co-worker and nurse unit manager Jody Watson, pictured opposite, most don’t know about the “huge asset” of ancil- lary staff such as physiotherapists, dieticians, speech therapists and pastoral care workers - to name a few - who can help transform a patient’s experience of their illness. PHOTO: NSLHD Dr Peter Roach finds in his practice as a palliative care specialist. On the contrary, he says palliative care should be con- sidered as early as possible and is aimed at giving patients and their families not only more time but better time, whether that means days, weeks, months or longer. While it can be hard to de- fine, he says the World Health Organisation’s definition is most useful. That definition says pal- liative care is “an approach which improves the quality of life of patients and their fam- ilies facing life-threatening illness, through the preven- tion and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psy- chosocial and spiritual”. “So we’re about supporting them in a very holistic way,” Dr Roach said. “A lot of people think that palliative care is ter- minal care, that it’s right at the end of life, but really it is a lot more than that. “It’s ideally done earlier, then we can form relation- ships with people which is a great benefit, and people can catholicsuper.com.au We’re here to help you be on quite active treatment when they are linked to palli- ative care.” Dr Roach works at Sydney’s newest specialist palliative unit which opened in Mona Vale on Sydney’s northern beaches in February. He cites a seminal study on early pal- ORGAN RECITAL St Francis of Assisi, Church 463 Oxford St Paddington Brett McKern Director of Music, St John’s Anglican Church, Gordon Works by: • Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy • George Thalben-Ball • Herbert Howells • Alexandre Guilmant • Théodore Dubois • Brett McKern Associate Artists: Consort 8 with Tim Chung 16th century Franco-Flemish music Sunday 25 July 2021 • 2.30pm Admission by programme - Donation ORGAN RECITALS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Find the career you deserve catholicjobsonline.com.au CATHOLIC JOBS ONLINE For all the latest Catholic Jobs call Katie on (02) 9390 5402 IN VICTORIA, where more than 200 people have died un- der assisted dying laws, a new kind of palliative care offer- ing is a home-like sanctuary for the terminally ill and their families. O’Neill House, an initiative of Villa Maria Catholic Homes (VMCH) is an end-of-life com- fort care centre opened last month in Prahran, 5km south east of the Melbourne CBD. The 22-bed service is aimed at providing people with the best available support at their end of life. CEO Sonya Smart New 22-bed home Not just patients but families will be able to use the facilities at the new O’Neill House in Prahan, Melbourne. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues