Palliative medicine

We were first introduced to palliative care P1 year with Dr. Phillips. From her brief lecture, I felt like it was an interesting topic and could potentially be a difficult field to work in. I found myself wanting to learn more about palliative care to see if I could potentially work in a hospice setting. Personally, I had a great-grandfather that was utilizing at home hospice care for a little over a year before he passed. I didn’t get to see much of the healthcare aspect but I instead saw…

the end of life care. The palliative care paradigm allows physicians to add value to the quality of life during the end of life stage while also shifting focus when appropriate. (Fine, 2004). Today, palliative care is the fastest growing medical specialty in the United States serving more than 1 million patients and their families each year. (Wendler, 2015). The Andreas Beck Inpatient Palliative Care unit at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center of Houston is a renowned palliative care unit, which opened…

Thesis Palliative/Hospice Care: Necessity or Extension of Healthcare: a topic chosen to obtain clarity of services, while questioning who is benefiting, patients or the healthcare system. I. Introduction: The Historical Roots of Hospice In Homeric times (8th century B.C.), all Greeks without exception were regarded as being under the protection of Zeus Xenios, the god of strangers and supplicants. A wanderer would be treated as a guest and offered food, shelter, clothing, and gifts…

Palliative care can be complex and sensitive. Health professionals should be trained in communication skills such as breaking bad news (NCI, 2015). The health professional who delivers the news of the diagnoses should be the person who takes charge of the patient’s treatment, palliative care and any other contact with the patient to keep continuity (Okamura, 1997). With palliative care sometimes the family and friends tend to take charge…

The Changing Landscape: An Implication in nursing due to legalization of Physician-assisted death Canada’s first hospice palliative care program was developed in the 1970s to respond to the needs of the dying, relieve their suffering and improve their quality of life (Ferris, 2002). Despite the effort of palliative care to increase the quality-of-life in the end stages, medical aid in dying or physician assisted death [PAD] was the priority for many terminally ill patients. PAD is a unique…

enough. They refer to palliative or end-of-life care like Hospice. These companies and organizations offer comfort and support to terminally ill patients suffering from terrible diseases and their families. As stated by Wesley J. Smith, “Studies show that hospice-style palliative care 'is virtually unknown in the Netherlands [where euthanasia is legal]. ' There are very few hospice facilities, very little in the way of organized hospice activity, and few specialists in palliative care, ...”…

Take Heart – At Hospice This April John Smith, a volunteer with Hospice was chosen to receive the June Callwood Award. This award was established by Hospice Palliative Care Ontario to acknowledge and thank outstanding hospice volunteers throughout Ontario. The award was named in honour of Ms. Callwood, a Canadian journalist, author and social activist who was a long-time advocate of hospice. John Smith joined the Hastings team of volunteers in 2012, her interest stemming from the desire that…

According to Sun et al., palliative care interventions for Phase I clinical trial patients are not implemented early enough and, often, are forgotten altogether (2014). Throughout the article, the researchers describe the importance of educating all clinical trial patients on palliative care interventions, even if they are still seeking curative measures. Unfortunately, the researchers did not do an ideal job of creating an article title that draws readers in. The title that was selected is a…

in their life. Palliative Care and Hospice Care, are two services that provide whole person; physical, emotional, and spiritual care for patients at separate times after diagnosis. Understanding the differences and similarities will enable patients to receive the appropriate support and services during their time of need. The resources available can provide peace of mind and needed support during a challenging time not just for the individual but their family as well. Palliative Care is…

hospice clients are in their final three to six months of life. Most are elderly, however, hospice is available to anyone who needs the service, so long as they are in the final stages before death. There are a few exceptions to this rule, because of palliative care being added, hospice is sometimes granted to those who are in need of pain management. Hospice is provided by compassionate, caring people who are there to make this final time…