Palliative Care- Care Beyond Cure

In the history of human beings life has always been celebrated in different ways by different people around the globe. Death has always been looked upon as a sad thing which is meant to halt the beautiful journey called life.

Fortunately a few people in London and Ireland began to think differently in the 19th century. Their compassion for the terminally ill and sick patients gave rise to the hospice movement which aimed at providing care to people who are suffering from incurable diseases.

Palliative care is also a part of the original Hospice movement. However their only difference remains in the fact that hospice care is meant for patients suffering from incurable diseases and does not have a life expectancy of more than six months. On the other hand Palliative care givers extend their services to people who may not be terminally ill . Along with care Palliative treatment also tries to cure the disease of the ailing patient.

Palliative care does not start and end with the patient alone it extends to the patients family members also because the thought of losing a dear one within a few months time can be equally depressing and distressing for both the patient and their family members.

Patients suffering from diseases like cancer, aids and other incurable diseases often suffer from emotional and mental strain along with physical illness. Loss of independence, thoughts about the future of their family and a felling of burden often gives rise to terrible feeling of loneliness, depression and disgust. A palliative care giver generally tries to give an overall mental, emotional, and physical support to such patients. Their main aim is to help the patient connect with their surroundings and the supreme almighty power so that they can come to reconciliation with a death as just a natural progression of life.

Besides the emotional needs a terminally ill patient often suffers from different kind of physical ailments like pain, nausea, vomiting, anorexia , breathlessness etc. such symptoms needs to dealt with care . Often administering drugs is not enough. The Palliative care givers should find out which method can give maximum relief to the patient. The care giver should listen to the patient and access the problem, respect his privacy issues. With a proper knowledge about though provocative and temporal factors the care giver can administer the right medicine and undertake the most suitable method of treatment that can provide maximum benefit to the patient.

Palliative care is generally administered by trained nurses, doctors or medical professionals in different countries around the world. They are given special training to meet the social, physical, psychological and spiritual needs of the patients. The task is definitely not easy and requires a team work. Active support from the family is important to make the patient more comfortable and relaxed. Palliative care is generally can be provided in a patient's own home or in the hospitals specializing in this division Palliative care in most countries are still provided free of cost. They are supported by charities or funded by big multinational organizations as part of their service to society programs.