A way of giving medication to someone.
Pain that occurs between regular doses of pain killers.
Anyone who regularly looks after a person who would not be able to manage without them. Carers can be any age and can be paid or unpaid.
An individualised plan that sets out how a patient should be cared for.
A study conducted by Bangor University in Wales, that focused on the timely administration of as-needed medication for dying patients being cared for at home. In particular it looked at whether it was feasible and acceptable for unpaid carers to be trained to give as-needed SC injections.
A persistent or recurring illness which often results in disability and may shorten life expectancy.
A trained health care professional who provides some kind of clinical service, e.g. doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, psychologist, chiropodist, dentist.
A judgment about what a particular illness or problem is, that is made after examining it.
An abbreviation of the phrase ‘Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation’, that means, do not attempt to restart the heart and lungs of a person when they have stopped working.
Do Not Attempt Resuscitation, a shortening of the expression 'DNACPR'.
An unpleasant abnormal sensation, that can happen on its own or can be triggered, for example a ‘feeling' of ants crawling on the skin.
Difficulty swallowing.
Difficult or laboured breathing..
A term sometimes used for the last year of someone’s life although it can mean the last few weeks or days.
End of life care has been defined by the National Council for Palliative Care, as 'care that helps all those with advanced, progressive, incurable illness to live as well as possible until they die. It enables the supportive and palliative care needs of both patients and family to be identified and met throughout the last phase of life and into bereavement. It includes management of pain and other symptoms and provision of psychological, social, spiritual and practical support.''
The process of providing water or other liquids to the body.
When death is expected within the next few days or hours of a life.
An illness or disease that will shorten life expectancy, which cannot be reversed by treatment.
The feeling of needing to vomit.
Pain in the distribution of a nerve or nerves.
Having enough food entering the body and being able to absorb the nutrients in those foods.
Holistic care that focuses on relieving or soothing suffering caused by a serious illness, usually one that is not curable.
An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.
The direction to take a medication as and when it is needed in response to a symptom, not at regular intervals.
An estimate of how long a person is likely to live with a disease or illness.
An uncomfortable, irritating itch that creates an urge to scratch.
The way in which medicine is taken into, or makes contact with the body.
Also known as 'subcut', a subcutaneous injection is delivered into the fatty tissues just beneath the skin or into a small tube that has already been attached to a person via a small cannula (needle). They can be used to give many types of medications for various medical conditions.
Terminal illness refers to an illness or disease that does not respond to curative medical treatment and which will worsen and eventually cause death.
Terminal restlessness or terminal agitation is a symptom that some people may experience in the days leading to death. It can include agitation, anxiety and confusion.
When someones mental and/or physical condition is frequently changing in an unpredictable way. This can require close support and management from a health team.