Nutrition is a key component of palliative care, focussing on comfort, enjoyment, and quality of life rather than quantity or weight gain, and should be individualized to the patient’s wishes and needs.
Food not only provides us with essential nutrition but it is also often the focal point of social activities, religious events and is part of peoples cultural identity.
For those who are relatively stable or who are undergoing palliative treatment, the aim is often to maintain their nutritional status during this time or minimise nutritional losses.
For those who are end of life (EoL) nutritional goals will often focus on quality of life (QoL) and reducing anxiety around eating and drinking. This may include, reassuring patients/family regarding nutrition in palliative care and EoL or it may involve education of staff/colleagues on how they can support patient’s nutrition within this area.
