Palliative & End-of-Life Care - The Star of Dignity
Compassionate Palliative & End-of-Life Care
Our Star of Dignity care shines during life’s most delicate stage – the end-of-life journey. We believe that every individual deserves to spend their final days in comfort, surrounded by compassion and respect. This service provides specialised palliative and end-of-life care aimed at managing symptoms, alleviating pain, and ensuring the person’s dignity is upheld at every moment. We also extend our care to the family, offering guidance and emotional support through what can be an overwhelming time.
Star of Dignity is for clients of any age facing life-limiting illnesses or conditions – whether it’s an older adult with a terminal illness who wishes to remain at home, or a child with a life-limiting condition whose family wants a peaceful home setting for care. Our team includes nurses with palliative care training and deeply compassionate caregivers who understand the unique needs of this stage. We work closely with hospice or palliative care teams, GPs, and specialists to follow established care plans, and we remain flexible as needs can change quickly in end-of-life situations.
Services We Provide
Throughout our Star of Dignity care, we adhere to the highest standards set by organisations like the HSE’s palliative care guidelines and HIQA’s standards for end-of-life care in the community. We treat every individual with reverence and kindness, recognising that these moments are precious.
Pain & Symptom Management
Helping to administer and manage pain relief medication (as prescribed by doctors), and using comfort measures to ease symptoms like nausea, breathlessness, anxiety, or insomnia. Our priority is to keep the client as comfortable as possible.
Comforting Personal Care
Gentle assistance with bathing, repositioning, mouth care, and toileting for those who are bed-bound or very weak. We pay close attention to skin care, bed sore prevention, and overall comfort – soft bedding, proper lighting, and a calming environment.
Emotional & Spiritual Support
Being a calm, reassuring presence. This can mean sitting quietly at the bedside holding a hand, listening to the client’s fears or thoughts, or facilitating visits from spiritual advisors/clergy as per the family’s beliefs and wishes.
Family Guidance & Respite
Educating family members on how to care for their loved one (like safe transfer techniques or medication schedules) and stepping in to give them breaks. We encourage family to rest and take care of themselves too, knowing our caregivers are keeping their loved one safe in the interim.
24/7 Vigil & Overnight Care
When needed, providing continuous care during the day or night so that no one has to face difficult moments alone. Our team can arrange overnight sitters or round-the-clock nursing support, especially in the final days, so family members can get some sleep or simply focus on spending quality time, rather than worrying about medical details.
Coordination & Advocacy
Liaising with doctors, district nurses, or hospice services to ensure the care plan is followed and adjusted as needed. We help arrange necessary equipment (like hospital beds, oxygen, or commodes) and coordinate medication refills or emergency support. We also advocate for the client’s wishes – be it staying at home as long as possible, or any specific end-of-life preferences they have expressed.
"The Star of Dignity Plan honours life’s final journey with unwavering compassion, ensuring comfort, respect, and dignity every step of the way. We provide specialised palliative and end-of-life care that not only cares for the individual but also supports their loved ones, creating a peaceful, loving environment in their most difficult time."
— Obsidian Homecare
Our Approach
We consider it a privilege to be part of someone’s final journey. Our caregivers and nurses approach each day with empathy, patience, and gentleness. They are trained not only in clinical tasks but also in the soft skills of offering comfort – sometimes it’s adjusting a pillow, sometimes it’s knowing when to simply listen or share a quiet tear with a family member. We respect cultural and religious practices around end of life; if there are rituals or special requests, we do our best to accommodate them.
In the Star of Dignity, our goal is to ensure that no one walks this part of life’s path alone or in pain. We aim for a peaceful atmosphere where a person can be with loved ones, in a familiar home setting, on their own terms. If your family is facing a serious illness and you wish for compassionate end-of-life care at home, our Star of Dignity services will be there to guide and support you every step of the way.
A Gentle Presence, Not Just a Service
End-of-life care is about more than clinical tasks — it’s about being there, with heart. Our team understands the power of quiet presence: a warm hand to hold, a familiar voice in the room, a gentle rhythm to the day. We create space for meaningful moments, for love and connection, even in the smallest gestures.
Who This Service Supports
For those approaching the end of life, we provide comfort, dignity, and compassionate care at home — for both the individual and their family.
✓ Advanced cancer
✓ End-stage COPD, heart failure, or renal disease
✓ Late-stage Parkinson’s or Huntington’s
✓ Terminal neurological disorders
✓ End-stage dementia
✓ Children with life-limiting conditions
✓ Adults under hospice or palliative medical teams
Guidance Through Uncertainty
This stage of life can be filled with unknowns. Families often ask: What happens next? What do we do? How do we cope? Our nurses and carers are not only here to provide care, but also to help you navigate the emotional, practical, and medical steps with clarity and compassion. You don’t have to walk this road alone.
Respecting What Matters Most
Every person has their own values, beliefs, and wishes about how they want to be cared for at the end of life. Whether it’s spiritual rituals, family traditions, or simply a favourite blanket by their side, we honour the details that matter. Dignity means being treated not just as a patient — but as a whole person, right to the end.
Moments That Matter
Even in the final chapter, there can be moments of joy, humour, and memory-making. We encourage storytelling, music, photo albums, shared meals — whatever brings light to the day. In the Star of Dignity, we don’t just support a peaceful passing — we support meaningful living, for as long as possible.
Real Plans Blend, Always Have, Always Will
What you’ve just read might be part of the plan — but not the full picture.
Care isn’t one-dimensional. And neither are the people we support.
We combine support across our Five Shapes of Care to build plans that actually fit — clinically, emotionally, and practically.
No templates. No guesswork. Just care that makes sense.
