Palliative care is an approach that helps patients and their families to cope up with the illness
NABH-accredited Shree Krishna Hospital, Karamsad in Anand district of Gujarat, has recently launched palliative care services. The services will be run jointly by the Departments of Anaesthesia, Community Medicine and Extension Programmes and will be provided at the hospital between 9.30 am and 1.30 pm and home care services in the extension villages between 2.30 and 5 pm.
Anyone suffering from life limiting illness, such as cancer, stroke, neuroliogical diseases, late stages of heart, kidney and respiratory diseases, needs palliative care. It is not meant only for terminal illness only. Palliative care is an approach that helps such patients and their families to cope up with the illness. In addition to medical care, it involves several non-pharmacological interventions to provide relief from the suffering. Along with helping with dressing of wounds, bed sores, maintaining personal hygiene, helping with pipes for breathing, feeding and pain relief, it also involves providing emotional, psychological, social and spiritual support.
Dr Dinesh Bhandari, Head, Community Medicine, said, “Palliative care can be sought at any stage of the life threatening or life limiting illness. However, the advantages will be maximum if it is sought early in the course of the disease rather than waiting for a later stage. This care is compatible with all types of current treatments. A good coordination between the current treatment provider and the palliative team, generally comprising a doctor, nurse, social worker and counsellor, will lead to better outcomes.”
EH News Bureau