Care centred on the patient and family as a unit is core to the philosophy of palliative care. The goals of supporting family have been described as: meeting their needs; minimising their distress; improving their well being and ultimate outcomes; and empowering them to provide care.
Nurses working with patients with palliative care needs can spend much of their time not only on patient care but in also getting to know and be known by family members. The role of the nurse can include provision of emotional and spiritual support, ongoing education about care and management, support during decision making on end-of-life issues, as well as support after death.
It is important that nurses are prepared for and supported in what for some is a substantive part of their work. For example, some family members don't work well together, communicate well with each other or contribute positively in decision making. This makes many situations difficult, and not something that all nurses can manage alone. Recognising that support and advice may be needed from colleagues, managers or the wider interdisciplinary team is important. Family meetings are one way of providing a formalised structure by which to facilitate communication and decision making.
It is also not always well recognised or acknowledged within management structures, that supporting families can often be complex and time consuming. Equally important, and also not well acknowledged, is that nurses also often have to deal, not only with the sometimes complex emotions of patients and their families, but also with their own emotions.
Resources
- End of Life / Palliative Education Resource Centre (EPERC) Fast Facts
- Current Learning in Palliative Care (CLIP) 15 minute online tutorials
- Palliative Care Australia has conference presentations from the 'Together 2009' national conference, including one on carers
-
-
Related CareSearch pages
PubMed Topic Search
Family distress
Patient education
CareSearch Review Collection
Decision making
CNIN Information Sheets
Patient and Carer Support
Patients Carers, Families and Friends
Services and resources to support carers
Nurses Hub
Communication
Self Care
GP pages
Helping you support families
Support for carers
If patients and families aren’t coping
GP Pages – resources
For Patients and Families
Living with illness
Family communication
Communicating with Health Professionals
How to help families
Free Full Text Article
Tse Man Wah, Doris. Care for the Family in Palliative Care. HKSPM Newsletter. 2007 Apr-Aug;(1-2):26-30.
Faulkner A. ABC of Palliative Care. Communication with patients, families and other health professionals. BMJ. 1998 Jan 10;316(7125):130-2.
References
- Holst L, Lundgren M, Olsen L, Ishøy T. Dire deadlines: coping with dysfunctional family dynamics in an end-of-life care setting. Int J Palliat Nurs. 2009 Jan;15(1):34-41.
- McLeod D, Tapp D, Moules N, Campbell ME. Knowing the family: Interpretations of family nursing in oncology and palliative care. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2010 Apr;14(2):93-100. Epub 2009 Nov 4.
- Zaider T, Kissane D. The assessment and management of family distress during palliative care. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2009 Mar;3(1):67-71.
- Lowey SE. Communication between the nurse and family caregiver in end-of-life care: a review of the literature. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing. 2008 Jan-Feb;10(1):35-48.
- King DA, Quill T. Working with families in palliative care: one size does not fit all. J Palliat Med. 2006 Jun;9(3):704-15.
- Namasivayam P, Orb A, O'Connor M. The challenges of caring for families of the terminally ill: nurses' lived experience. Contemp Nurse. 2005 Jul-Aug;19(1-2):169-80.
Go to next page in this set
Return to Working with Families page
Last updated 27 August 2010*