The hardest thing we have ever done - Palliative Care Australia

Glossary of Terms
CALD
CALD stands for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse and is used to describe Australians from
such backgrounds.
Caregiver/carer/caring
Carers are people who regularly provide the most assistance with one or more of the core
activities of communication, mobility, transport, housework and self-care. Also a carer is
defined as someone who, without payment, provides help and support to a friend, neighbour
or relative who could not manage otherwise because of frailty, illness or disability.
Carer Allowance
The Carer Allowance (Adult) helps parents or carers to care for adults with a disability at
home. It replaces the former Domiciliary Nursing Care Benefit. Carer Allowance (Adult) may
be paid on top of the Carer Payment or other payments, such as the Age Pension.
Carer Payment
The Carer Payment is available to those who provide constant care, in the home of the
person under care, to a person aged 16 or over with a severe disability or medical condition,
or an adult with moderate care needs and supervision of their dependent child if this child
is: under six years of age, or between six and 16 years of age and attracts payment of Carer
Allowance, or a child under the age of 16 with a profound disability or medical condition, or
two or more children under the age of 16 with severe disabilities or medical conditions, and
the applicant meets the income and assets tests, is an Australian resident or allowed to live
here permanently (a two year waiting period may apply for recently arrived migrants).
Community palliative care
Community care settings include the patient’s private home or a community living
environment such as a residential aged care facility or supported care facility. Community
palliative care services provide care, as much as possible, in the setting of the
patient’s choice.
End of life
End of life refers to that period of life leading up to death, and death itself.
Inpatient palliative care
Inpatient settings include hospices and hospitals. Some hospitals maintain a distinct
palliative care unit, while others designate beds which are reserved for palliative care
patients.
Neurodegenerative conditions
Neurodegenerative conditions are fatal diseases in which the nerve cells that control the
muscles that enable us to move, speak, swallow and breathe degenerate and die. As the
nerves die the muscles that they supply die. This results in increasing creeping paralysis.
Palliative care
Palliative care is the specialised health care of dying people which aims to maximise quality
of life and assist families, carers and their communities during and after death.
THE HARDEST THING WE HAVE EVER DONE: The Social Impact of Caring for Terminally Ill People in Australia, 2004
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