ABSTRACT
This chapter takes a comprehensive look at the use of palliative care strategies with people who are severely AOD dependent. This includes identifying and exploring special considerations, barriers to care and dilemmas experienced by health professionals and the strategies to address them. This is followed by exploring the content of assessment, intervention planning, treatment and other interventions to maintain people in an optimal state until they are able or ready for change or to provide support until the end of life. Consideration is also given to the specific needs associated with concurrent mental illness or chronic pain and the seamless transition across home and community care settings for people receiving treatment for AOD dependence such as methadone or buprenorphine treatment for opioid dependence. Case scenarios are used to highlight care provision, to demonstrate its outcomes and what this might look like. The chapter concludes with consideration of the impact of social policy on service provision capacity, options to address these and the need for collaboration between palliative care and AOD services when providing end-of-life care.
