Health Sciences and Social Services Curative Health

Provide Palliative Care To Terminally Ill Patients And Support To Their Families Training

SAQA US 120176 | NQF 4 | Credits 8 | Duration 5 Days
From $1,242 per delegate

Description

This course equips healthcare workers and caregivers with the knowledge and skills to provide compassionate, holistic palliative care to terminally ill patients. It also focuses on supporting the emotional, psychological, and practical needs of their families, ensuring dignity and quality of life throughout the end-of-life journey.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply principles of palliative care to manage pain and symptoms in terminally ill patients.
  • Demonstrate effective communication skills when interacting with patients and their families about end-of-life care.
  • Analyze the psychosocial and spiritual needs of patients and families to provide holistic support.
  • Implement care plans that respect the cultural, ethical, and legal aspects of palliative care.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of support strategies for families during bereavement.
  • Design a supportive environment that promotes dignity and comfort for the patient.

Target Audience

This training is designed for nurses, community health workers, caregivers, and other healthcare professionals who provide care to terminally ill patients in hospitals, hospices, or home-based settings.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Palliative Care

Objectives:
• Define palliative care and its principles within the South African healthcare context.
• Understand the legal and ethical framework guiding palliative care for terminally ill patients.
• Identify the roles and responsibilities of the multidisciplinary team.
• Recognise the importance of cultural sensitivity and patient-centred care.

Topics:
• Introduction to palliative care: philosophy, goals, and scope.
• Legal and ethical considerations: patient rights, advance directives, and confidentiality.
• The multidisciplinary team: roles of nurses, doctors, social workers, and counsellors.
• Cultural and spiritual considerations in end-of-life care.
• Communication basics: active listening and empathy.
• Overview of the South African palliative care policy and guidelines.

Day 2: Pain and Symptom Management

Objectives:
• Assess and manage pain using the WHO analgesic ladder.
• Identify common symptoms in terminally ill patients and apply appropriate interventions.
• Understand the pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to symptom control.
• Monitor and adjust care plans based on patient response.

Topics:
• Pain assessment tools and documentation.
• WHO analgesic ladder: stepwise approach to pain relief.
• Management of common symptoms: nausea, dyspnoea, fatigue, and constipation.
• Pharmacological interventions: opioids, adjuvants, and breakthrough pain management.
• Non-pharmacological interventions: relaxation, positioning, and complementary therapies.
• Monitoring and evaluating symptom control.

Day 3: Psychosocial and Spiritual Support

Objectives:
• Provide psychosocial support to patients and families facing terminal illness.
• Address grief, loss, and anticipatory mourning.
• Facilitate spiritual care respecting diverse beliefs.
• Support family caregivers in their roles.

Topics:
• Psychosocial impact of terminal illness on patients and families.
• Grief and loss theories: Kubler-Ross, Worden, and others.
• Counselling skills: active listening, validation, and normalising emotions.
• Spiritual care: assessing spiritual needs and providing support.
• Supporting family caregivers: education, respite, and emotional support.
• Referral to community resources and support groups.

Day 4: End-of-Life Care and Bereavement

Objectives:
• Recognise signs of impending death and provide appropriate care.
• Manage the terminal phase with dignity and comfort.
• Support families during the dying process and after death.
• Understand the principles of bereavement support.

Topics:
• Signs of approaching death and care in the last hours.
• Symptom management in the terminal phase.
• Cultural rituals and practices at the time of death.
• Breaking bad news: SPIKES protocol and family communication.
• Bereavement support: normal vs. complicated grief.
• Self-care for healthcare providers: managing compassion fatigue.

Day 5: Integration, Assessment, and Practical Application

Objectives:
• Develop a comprehensive palliative care plan for a terminally ill patient.
• Apply ethical decision-making in complex scenarios.
• Demonstrate effective communication with patients, families, and the team.
• Reflect on personal learning and professional development.

Topics:
• Case studies: integrating all aspects of palliative care.
• Developing and documenting a palliative care plan.
• Ethical dilemmas: withdrawal of treatment, sedation, and do-not-resuscitate orders.
• Role-play: family conference and advance care planning.
• Quality improvement and audit in palliative care.
• Course review, assessment, and action planning.

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 07 Sep 2026 Fri 11 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
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Mon 27 Dec 2027 Fri 31 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 17 Jan 2028 Fri 21 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 492 sessions across 26 venues
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Mon 22 Mar 2027 Fri 26 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 14 Jun 2027 Fri 18 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
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Mon 03 Jan 2028 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
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Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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