When a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness, the impact ripples through every member of the family. Knowing exactly how to support your family through terminal illness can feel overwhelming. In Australia, it’s estimated that four out of five expected deaths each year require palliative care support, and cancer remains the leading cause of disease burden in Western Australia. Families are often the primary source of care, providing up to 95% of support for people nearing end of life. This responsibility can be overwhelming, emotionally draining, and, at times, isolating.
Yet, with the right information and support, families can navigate this journey with resilience, compassion, and a sense of connection. Here’s how to approach this challenging time, backed by research and best practices relevant to Western Australia and beyond.
How Does a Terminal Illness Affect Families in Australia?
Understanding the landscape of palliative care in Australia can help families feel less alone. Statistics highlight the shared nature of this experience and the significant need for support.
- Widespread Need for Palliative Care: Around 80% of expected deaths in Australia each year require palliative care, placing significant responsibility on families [Palliative Care Australia, 2025].
- Family Caregiver Burden: Nearly half (44%) of primary family caregivers for people in palliative care experience probable anxiety or depression [ScienceDirect, 2025].
- Financial and Time Costs: The average informal care cost per carer is estimated at over $60,000, with costs expected to rise [PMC, 2025].
- Impact on Children: Over 32,000 Australian children live with conditions that severely shorten their lives, and just over 650 children die from them each year [The Saturday Paper, 2025].
- Emotional Toll: 96% of family caregivers report clinically significant distress, including anxiety, depression, and anticipatory grief.
These figures show that while your journey is unique, the challenges are shared by thousands of families across the country.
What Emotional Challenges Can You Expect?
Terminal illness triggers a range of emotions. It’s common for family members to feel shock, anger, fear, and profound sadness. There is no single “correct” way to respond, and it’s important to validate each person’s experience.
Grief doesn’t wait until a loss occurs. You may be experiencing anticipatory grief, which is the process of grieving a future loss while your loved one is still with you.
What helps:
- Create Safe Spaces to Talk: Set aside regular opportunities for open dialogue. A family dinner or a quiet afternoon can be a good time to check in.
- Validate Everyone’s Feelings: Acknowledge that it’s okay to feel angry, sad, or confused. Encourage family members (including children) to express their feelings, even if those feelings are complex or contradictory.
- Offer Honest, Age-Appropriate Explanations: Children are perceptive. Provide them with simple, truthful information to help them understand what is happening and reassure them that they are safe and loved.
How Can Your Family Communicate with Clarity and Compassion?
Open and honest communication is essential to support your family through terminal illness, but it can be difficult to know what to say or how much to share. Research shows that families who talk openly about illness and prognosis experience less confusion and more cohesion.
Strategies for effective communication:
- Use Simple Language: Avoid medical jargon. Speak in clear, simple terms that everyone can understand.
- It’s Okay Not to Have All the Answers: Sometimes, the most honest response is “I don’t know.” Allowing space for silence and uncertainty creates a more authentic and less pressured environment.
- Listen More Than You Speak: Often, the greatest support you can offer is simply listening. Give your loved one the space to share their fears, wishes, and memories.
- Involve Your Loved One in Decisions: As much as possible, include the person who is ill in conversations about their care and end-of-life wishes. This honours their autonomy and ensures their voice is heard.
- Involve children in conversations: It is important for children to feel involved in the discussion at a level appropriate for their age and maturity.
How Can You Maintain Connection and Create Lasting Memories?
While routines may be disrupted, maintaining familiar family activities such as meals together, walks, creative projects, can help to anchor everyone during uncertainty. Shared memory and legacy projects can also foster connection and meaning.
Ideas for staying connected:
- Create a Legacy Project: Work together on a scrapbook, memory box, or digital photo album. This can be a beautiful way to celebrate a life and preserve precious moments.
- Record Stories and Messages: Use a phone or camera to record your loved one sharing stories, life lessons, or messages for future milestones like birthdays and graduations.
- Encourage Creative Outlets: Drawing, painting, or listening to music together can be therapeutic ways to process emotions when words are hard to find.
Where Can You Find Support in Western Australia?
No family should have to face terminal illness alone. In Western Australia, there are increasing resources for families, but access can vary. Professional help such as counselling, support groups, and end-of-life doula services can provide crucial guidance, emotional support, and practical tools.
Local and national resources:
- Palliative Care WA: An excellent starting point for finding local services, information, and support networks across Western Australia.
- Carers WA: Offers programs, counselling, and resources specifically for caregivers, helping you manage the practical and emotional demands of your role.
- The Beach Haven Grief and Loss Centre: Provides expert grief counselling and end-of-life support for families navigating terminal illness and grief.
- Grieflink: Provides information and resources for people navigating grief, including anticipatory grief related to terminal illness.
- End-of-Life Doula Services: A trained end-of-life doula can provide non-medical support, helping with legacy projects, emotional comfort, and practical planning.
Accept help from friends, neighbors, or extended family, even for small tasks, can significantly reduce the burden on your family.
How Do You Manage the Practical Side of Things?
The practical tasks associated with a terminal illness, from managing medical appointments to legal paperwork, can be overwhelming. Organizing these responsibilities can reduce stress for everyone.
Helpful tips:
- Assign Roles: Divide tasks based on each person’s strengths and availability. One person might handle communications with the medical team, while another manages household chores.
- Use Shared Tools: A shared digital calendar (like Google Calendar) can help everyone keep track of appointments, medication schedules, and visits.
- Discuss and Document Wishes: Have open conversations about preferences for care and end-of-life wishes. Documenting these in an Advance Health Directive ensures they are respected.
Why Is Caring for the Caregiver So Important?
Family caregivers are the unsung heroes of end-of-life care, but they are also at high risk for burnout, depression, and financial strain. It is not selfish to prioritise your own well-being; it is essential. You cannot pour from an empty cup.
Suggestions for self-care:
- Schedule Regular Breaks: Step away for short breaks throughout the day to breathe, stretch, or do something you enjoy.
- Connect with Other Caregivers: Joining a caregiver support group, either in-person or online, can provide a powerful sense of community and understanding.
- Ask for and Accept Help: Let friends, neighbours, and extended family help with meals, errands, or simply sitting with your loved one so you can rest.
The Beach Haven is Here to Support Your Family
At The Beach Haven, we understand the unique challenges Western Australian families face during a terminal illness. Our services including our Family Support Through Terminal Illness program, are designed to provide practical tools, emotional support, and a safe space for every member of your family.
If your family is navigating the complexities of terminal illness, we invite you to explore our support programs or book a confidential session. Visit The Beach Haven for more resources and information tailored to Western Australian families.
