Palliative care that supports comfort at home
Feel supported with compassionate, nurse-led care focused on comfort and choice.
We provide in-home palliative care for older people, people with disability, and families needing extra support - from symptom management and clinical care to guidance and reassurance for carers.
What is palliative care and how does DANS do it differently?
DANS palliative care offers practical support, both emotional and physical, for people living with a terminal illness. Our focus is comfort and quality of life.
Palliative care is deeply personal. Our nurses and care workers are trained for it, from managing symptoms and clinical oversight to honouring each person's specific wishes.
Making a life-limiting illness easier to carry, for the whole family.
What does our palliative care assistance include?
Palliative care adapts to each person's needs. Our support usually includes:
Registered nursing support for proper clinical oversight
- Experienced nurses with palliative care experience
- Monitoring and coordination with GPs, specialists and palliative care teams
Medication administration, management and symptom support
- Assistance with medications common to end-of-life support
- Assistance managing medication schedules and routines
- Help with medications that keep someone comfortable
- Helping navigate changing medication needs
Pain support
- Comfort-focused support to manage pain
- Assistance dealing with mobility, energy and daily needs when in palliative care
- Regular assessment of pain and monitoring effectiveness of prescribed medication
Future planning
- Help establishing an Advance Care Directive
- Support planning the right care for the person and their carer
- Clarity around wishes, decisions and future support
Culturally sensitive care
- Care that respects personal values, beliefs and culture
- Support shaped around what matters to the person and family
- Recognition of traditions that hold meaning
Personal care and domestic/daily living assistance
- Support with showering, dressing, using the toilet and grooming
- Help with meals, hydration and routines
- Gentle support that is tailored to the individual's energy levels
Overnight care and increased support as needed
- As needs become more complex, DANS can assist with overnight care
- Help during periods requiring more supervision
- Support can be flexible and adapt as care needs evolve
Emotional reassurance and support
- Calm, compassionate support for families and individuals
- Familiar faces to deliver consistency of care in this period
- Patience, empathy and dignity guide everything we do
- Support through every stage of care
- Bereavement support for family and loved ones
- Continued care beyond the final goodbye
Respite care and supporting carers
- Respite care so carers can take a break
- Reassurance that care is delivered with clinical oversight towards end of life
- Constant communication with families for reassurance
Flexible palliative care delivered at home
- We can provide short-term or long-term palliative care
- We deliver all services in the comfort of a client's home
End-of-life care at home
Palliative care can begin well before someone reaches the final stage of life. End-of-life care is more specifically focused on the period when a person’s health is declining and their care needs may change quickly.
At this stage, the priority is comfort, dignity and respecting the person’s wishes about how and where they want to be cared for. For many people, that means remaining at home, surrounded by familiar people, family and the things that matter to them.
DANS can provide additional support as care needs increase, including:
- Personal care and assistance with everyday activities
- Nursing care, oversight and monitoring
- Medication assistance and support with changing care needs
- More frequent, extended support where required
- Respite and practical support for family members and carers
- Coordination with GPs, specialist palliative care teams and other health professionals
- Care that respects Advance Care Directives, cultural preferences and personal wishes
End-of-life care often involves several health and care services working together. DANS can provide the nursing, personal and practical support needed at home while working alongside the person’s GP, specialist palliative care team and other healthcare professionals.
Support at Home funding for end-of-life care
People approaching the end of life may be eligible for additional funding through the Support at Home End-of-Life Pathway.
The pathway is designed for eligible older people who have been assessed as having three months or less to live and want to remain at home. It currently provides around $25,000 in funding over a 12-week period, with remaining funding able to be used for up to 16 weeks where required.
This additional funding can help provide a higher level of in-home support at a time when care needs may increase quickly. Depending on the person’s assessed needs, this can include nursing care, personal care and other approved Support at Home services.
The End-of-Life Pathway is designed to work alongside specialist palliative care services, rather than replace them.
If you or a family member may need end-of-life care at home, speak with DANS. We can help you understand the services available, coordinate care and navigate how Support at Home funding may apply.
Our services are grouped into broader pricing categories, so the pricing label below may not exactly match the name of this service. What you pay will depend on your funding pathway and any applicable subsidies or contributions.
Nursing care - registered nurse
Personal care
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Questions about in home care, funding, and getting started? We've answered the ones we hear most.
What is palliative care at home?
Palliative care at home supports people with a life-limiting illness to remain comfortable and cared for in their own home, close to family. DANS provides personal care, comfort-focused support and nursing involvement, working alongside your GP and specialist teams.
Can DANS support families during palliative care?
Yes. Families carry a lot during palliative care. DANS supports them with practical care, in-home respite so carers can rest, and clear communication with the nursing team - so the family can spend their time being family.
Is palliative care only for the final days of life?
No. Palliative care can start months or longer before end of life, whenever comfort and quality of life become the focus. Starting earlier usually means better symptom management and less crisis-driven care later.
Still have questions?
Get in touch. We're here to help.
Ready to get started?
We’d be happy to speak with you. Contact us for a free care assessment, or simply have a chat with our team to ask questions and understand your options.
