Caring for a terminally ill person with pain, at home. An Australian perspective

Pain control for a person with a terminal illness provides the same sorts of challenges for those people who choose to stay at home as those who remain in hospital. The differences lie in the choices that are made for treatment, at times, the response to treatment; and the consequential effects treatment may have on families. This article discusses a case study in which the client's pain was managed in the home within a Hospice Care program that incorporates a visiting domiciliary nursing service. In Australia, such a program has all the advantages of a hospital setting, in that it has access to oncology units and the knowledge therein as well as catering to individual's needs in their own environment.