Palliative care is available for anyone who has a progressive life-limiting disease.

The care required is determined by an individual patient's needs. Services are available that are age and culturally appropriate.

A specialist palliative care service can help provide:

• pain and symptom relief by providing medication and information about drugs
• practical advice and support for the woman and her family/carers
• temporary respite care to give carers some ‘time out’
• counselling and support groups for the woman and those close to her
• support with spiritual issues through referral to appropriate resources
• support in helping women and those close to her prepare for the later stages of metastatic breast cancer, including understanding preferences for where she would like to die
• bereavement support for families and carers.