Palliative Support Service
Providing comfort and support for people with a life-limiting illness and their families and carers.
What is the Palliative Support Service?
The Blue Mountains Palliative Support Service is a free volunteer service that provides care and support for people who have a life limiting illness and their carers and family. volunteers provide support at home or local hospitals, subject to the availability of volunteers.
What is this service for?
This service is provided free of charge to Blue Mountains and Lithgow residents with a life limiting illness.
Referrals can be made to us by community nurses, general practitioners and community services. We also accept referrals from family and carers and self referrals.
People being referred must be under the care of a medical practitioner who will provide clinical governance.
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Who are the Palliative Support volunteers?
Our volunteers are special people carefully selected and trained. Volunteers undergo extensive training through NSW Health in this specialist field.
Their personal qualities include knowledge and understanding of palliative care issues, sensitivity, empathy and the willingness to be there for people with life-limiting illnesses and their family. They are of all ages and come from a variety of backgrounds.
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Our Volunteers give their time freely, for up to 4 hours per week, to provide a caring and non-judgmental presence, while at the same time being bound by professional ethics and confidentiality. They can offer both practical and emotional support.
How can a Palliative Support volunteer help?
A volunteer can help in many ways including:
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offering companionship
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providing respite and support for carers
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reading or writing letters
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assisting with recreation and hobbies
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providing help with minor practical tasks in the home
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running errands such as paying bills or exchanging library books
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providing occasional transport and company on short outings
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providing information and resources
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providing bereavement support
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Would you like to find out more about how we can help?
To find out more about how our Palliative Support Service can help you, or someone you know, please contact our Palliative Care Volunteer Coordinator via the contact details below or by submitting our online enquiry form >
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Phone: 02 47359 2592
Are you interested in becoming a volunteer?
Volunteering plays an invaluable role in our community and can be a highly rewarding for both the volunteer and the people they help. Our Palliative Support volunteers play a very special role in people's lives.
If you would like to consider volunteering with our Palliative Support team, please get in touch for a chat about your interests and to find out about the recruitment and training process.
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You can also register your interest in volunteering online now on our volunteer page or submit an online enquiry.
Our heartfelt thanks to Tour de Cure and Westpac for contributing much needed funds to support our Palliative Support Service.
More Information
The Belong Blue Mountains Palliative Support Team is based at:
Mid Mountains Neighbourhood Centre
9 New Street, Lawson
Phone: 02 4759 2592
Email: socialsupport@belongbm.org.au
Interpreters:
We access the National Translating and Interpreting Service.
Feedback or Complaints:
We welcome feedback to improve our services. Please contact us at the above contact details or by submitting an message via our website. Go to our contact us form >
Alternatively, for feedback or complaints, you can access the following services:
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission: 1800 951 822
Older Persons Advocacy Network: 1800 700 600
Commonwealth Ombudsman: 1300 362 072