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need advice about palliative care, please

victoria0409
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My best friend is bringing her mum home from abroad on tuesday, after being diagnosed and given just weeks to live. my friend is a nurse so she will be looking after her at home. she has asked me to find out a few things. 1- how quick can her mum be diagnosed here so she can get the care as soon as possible, would it be quicker to get the information from the portugal hospital she was diagnosed at? 2 - should my friend contact her gp and ask him for help? 3- can my friends mum get any financial help? 4 - what will she need in her house to make her mums life more bareable? 4 - should my friend get power of atterney as soon as possible?

i know its alot of questions but this is a very difficult situation that has moved so fast. my friend is on her way home now to organise her house so she can go back to get her mum.

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    I replied to this last night but it doesn't appear to have worked for some reason. I am not qualified in the slightest to answer your questions but would suggest contacting Macmillan, they were a god send for us with all aspects of support- medical, emotional and financial to name but a few. Macmillan arranged for an OT to visit our house and adaptations needed were in place within days. I really hope she gets the support she needs. Xx

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    Hello Victoria0409,

    Jen123 has already given you some good advice and I do hope your friend's mum gets the support she needs and that your friend gets all the answers to her questions.

    If your friend lives in the UK, I would suggest she rings our nurses who may be able to advise her on how to proceed. The number to ring is 0808 800 4040, and the line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm - it's a free number.

    I have also dug up a couple of useful links to share with your friend. We have some useful information here to help carers who are looking after someone in their final weeks of life and about how it is also important for the carer to be cared for. You will find there some information on Carers UK who will help with questions related to financial help, housing and equipment and where to find help in your local area. We also have a section on the kind of help that is available at home for someone with cancer - including nursing help - which you can find here.

     On the important question of financial support, I would suggest you read this information on our website and share it with your friend.

    I hope this helps a little. It is very nice of you to come here and ask for advice on behalf of your best friend. Your friend is lucky to have you!

    Best wishes,

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

  • Hello Victoria,

    I am one of the information nurses and Lucie our moderator asked if we could add anything to your thread.

    I am not sure of the situation and if your friend’s mum is entitled to NHS care.  If this is in doubt, the NHS website has some information about accessing services at this link  which may helpful. I think it would be a good idea for your friend to talk to her GP or practice manager about getting her mum registered as this is the first step to arranging palliative care.

    I think a medical summary from the Portuguese doctors would be helpful.

    Another charity Macmillan Cancer Support can give advice about financial help. She can read about this here .

    I can’t really advise what sort of adaptations or equipment may be required in your friend’s home to help her care for her mum. This will have to be assessed on an individual basis. But I assume if she is well enough to travel she will able to manage with things as they stand at least for a while.

    I am not sure about a power or attorney.  But I think people with advanced cancer may want to make some decisions about their end of life care. This can be done by talking to their health professionals and some people think about making an advanced directive. There is more information about this on the NHS website here. 

    Do tell your friend to give us a call on 0808 800 4040. We are here Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. .

    Best wishes,

    Julia 

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