Patient and Family Resources
Living with a serious illness can bring many questions and challenges, both for patients and for the people who care for them. These palliative care resources for patients and families provide practical, reliable information to help with some of the common concerns that arise, including managing symptoms, caring for someone at home, emotional wellbeing, advance care planning and supporting family and caregivers.
Here you will find practical, reliable information to help with some of the common concerns that arise, including managing symptoms, caring for someone at home, emotional wellbeing, advance care planning and supporting family and caregivers.
Resources are available in several South African languages where possible. If you need individual support, you can also find a trained palliative care provider in South Africa.
Managing symptoms
Information about pain, breathlessness, fatigue and other symptoms that may occur with serious illness.
Caring for someone at home
Guidance for families and caregivers providing care at home.
Emotional wellbeing and support
Resources about anxiety, depression, grief and caregiver wellbeing.
Planning and making decisions
Information to help with future care planning and difficult healthcare decisions.
Specific conditions
Resources for people living with conditions such as dementia and Motor Neuron Disease.
Understanding palliative care
Palliative care supports people living with serious illness, helping to improve quality of life and provide support for patients and those close to them.
What is Palliative Care?
A simple introduction to palliative care and the support it can offer.
Managing symptoms
Practical information to help patients and families understand and manage common symptoms associated with serious illness.
Pain and morphine
Managing cancer pain at home
An easy-to-understand guide to managing cancer pain in adults and children.
Giving oral morphine at home
Practical guidance for patients and families on using oral morphine at home.
English | Afrikaans | isiXhosa | isiZulu | Sepedi | Setswana
Myths about morphine
Answers to some common questions and misconceptions about morphine.
English | Afrikaans | isiXhosa | isiZulu | Sepedi | Setswana
Breathlessness
What is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)?
Information to help patients and families understand COPD.
Breathlessness in heart failure
Information about breathlessness associated with heart failure.
Managing shortness of breath in COPD and heart failure
Practical ways to help manage shortness of breath.
Managing breathlessness in palliative care
Practical guidance for patients and families when breathlessness is a problem.
Emergency care plan for shortness of breath
A practical plan for managing episodes of severe shortness of breath.
Fatigue
Tips to conserve your energy
Practical suggestions for managing fatigue and making the best use of available energy.
Mouth care
Mouth care at home
Helpful tips for maintaining comfort and caring for the mouth at home.
Bladder and bowel care
Managing incontinence
Practical information to support comfort and dignity when managing incontinence.
Bowel care
Information to help prevent and manage common bowel problems.
Pressure injuries
What are pressure injuries?
Information about recognising and helping to prevent pressure injuries.
Caring for someone at home
Caring for someone with a serious illness at home can bring practical questions and uncertainty. These resources offer information to help patients, families and caregivers know what to expect and how to provide care.
Caring in the last days and hours of life
A guide to caring for someone in their last days or hours of life
Practical information for families and caregivers caring for someone approaching the end of life.
Understanding the dying process
Crossing the Creek
A practical guide to understanding the dying process for patients, families, caregivers and healthcare professionals.
Emotional wellbeing and support
Serious illness affects more than physical health. These resources offer support for patients, families and caregivers dealing with emotional distress, caregiving, grief and loss.
Anxiety and depression
Managing your anxiety
Information about anxiety and practical techniques that may help at home.
Managing depression
Information to help people recognise and manage depression while living with serious illness.
Support for caregivers
Caregiver support
Practical information for people caring for someone they love who is living with a serious illness.
Dealing with trauma
Information to help patients, families and caregivers understand and cope with trauma.
Grief and bereavement
Grief and bereavement
Information and support for people coping with grief and the loss of someone they care about.
Planning and making decisions
Serious illness can involve difficult decisions about treatment and future care. Good information and advance care planning can help patients and families understand their choices, discuss what matters most and plan for what may lie ahead.
Advance Care Planning
Learn about advance care planning and how to communicate your wishes and preferences for future healthcare.
Learn more about Advance Care Planning →
When to use and when to avoid tube feeding
Information to help patients and families understand some of the considerations around tube feeding in serious illness.
Specific conditions
Some illnesses bring particular challenges for patients and families. These resources provide information and practical support relating to specific conditions.
Dementia
Dementia care
Information to help families and caregivers understand some of the particular needs of a person living with dementia.
Motor Neuron Disease
Support for people living with Motor Neuron Disease
The Motor Neuron Disease Association of South Africa provides practical support, information and guidance for people living with MND and their families.
Communication board
A printable communication board that can help people with Motor Neuron Disease communicate their needs by pointing to letters, words or symbols. The boards can be downloaded and printed on A3 paper.
