Caring for someone with a serious illness can feel like navigating uncharted waters. You want to do everything right, but sometimes it’s hard to know when extra support might be needed. That’s where palliative care comes in, and recognising the signs early can make all the difference. We’ve put together seven key indicators that your loved one might benefit from this specialised type of care.

Sign #1: Increasing Weakness or Fatigue

• Spending more time in bed

• Sleeping most of the day

• Struggling with basic activities of living that you would normally perform yourself

• When energy steadily declines, extra medical oversight can help.

• Falls or increasing frailty

• Using oxygen or mobility aids

Sign #2: Symptoms That Are Hard to Control

• Pain of any kind, which might be persistent, intermittent, bone, nerve, or muscle tissue type of pain.

• Breathlessness

• Nausea and Vomiting

• Agitation, Restlessness, Wandering Behaviour, Passive Aggressiveness or Moody.

• Recurrent infections, especially related to the chest or bladder.

Palliative care specialises in symptom management and control to ensure that there is a persistent relief of pain and aggravating symptoms, so that more focus can be placed on spending time with loved ones, called family.

Sign #3: Frequent Hospital Visits

• Multiple admissions

• Recurrent emergency visits

• Crisis-driven care, which means families often do not have the necessary skills or knowledge in managing life-threatening and limiting conditions, palliative and hospice care support can alleviate unnecessary cost burdens by reducing the amount of time spent in emergency care centres or admissions to hospitals.

If care feels reactive rather than planned, support may help.

Sign #4: Poor Appetite or Weight Loss

• Eating very little or nothing at all is often called loss of appetite, which can be ongoing

• Ongoing weight loss

• Difficulty swallowing

These changes often signal disease progression.

Sign #5: Caregiver Exhaustion (This refers to the primary family members caring for the patient)

• Feeling overwhelmed

• Anxiety about “doing it wrong”

• Not knowing what to expect next

Palliative care supports families, too.

Sign #6: Advanced or Progressive Illness

Including:

• Advanced cancer

• Dementia or Parkinson’s disease

• End-stage heart, lung, kidney or liver disease

• Severe frailty accompanied by loss of consciousness, not eating or drinking and unable to care for self in its entirety. GH does not provide general frail care services, which old age facilities do, and others have frail care centres.

GH can provide an extra layer of care to visit patients in these facilities if requested by families and permitted by the facility management.

Diagnosis alone doesn’t decide — but it matters.

Sign #7: You’re Asking: “Is It Time?”

If you’re wondering whether more support is needed… that question itself is important.

Early involvement often prevents a crisis.

Palliative Care is about support – not giving up. There is always more we can do to make the patient and families more comfortable.

It focuses on:

• Comfort

• Dignity

• Clear medical guidance

• Anticipation instead of crisis

IF YOU’RE UNSURE IF WE CAN HELP YOU, CONTACT US TO ASK.

Here’s the thing: recognising these signs doesn’t mean you’ve failed or that hope is lost. Quite the opposite. Palliative and Hospice care are all about improving quality of life, managing symptoms more effectively, and giving both your loved one and your family the support you deserve. It’s about comfort, dignity, and having a clear plan moving forward rather than constantly reacting to crises.

If any of these signs feel familiar, trust your instincts. That nagging feeling that something needs to change. It’s worth listening to. Reaching out for help isn’t giving up; it’s giving your loved one (and yourself) the gift of expert support during a challenging time. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at Greendale House. We’re here to help, and sometimes just having that conversation can bring enormous relief. You’ve got this, and we’ve got your back.