The role of the carer

Supporting carers of someone with a life-limiting illness

As a person shifts from curative treatment to palliative care there is often a continuing or increasing need for additional support and physical care. For many, this will involve an informal carer.

An informal carer provides physical and emotional support to a person with a life limiting illness. This support is unregulated and is usually provided with no encouragement or financial compensation.

In the palliative setting, it is important that the nurse can identify the carer. This is particularly valuable in planning for preferred place of care, in upholding end of life wishes and in the setting of managing medicines as for many this will be a new (and possibly frightening) responsibility.

Help with managing medicines

Effective management of medicines requires:

• Coordination of new and ongoing medicines supplies
• Storage (and disposal of) medicines
• Administration of different formulations of as needed and regularly administered medicines, and
• Monitoring the response (including adverse reactions).

Help with administering subcutaneous medicines