| Palliative
Care is Everyone's Business In recent times palliative care has been described as "everyone's business'' and 92% of people would like to know more about it. Knowing sooner rather than later brings with it the advantage of knowing what options may be available, and also the opportunity to work through what may be complex and difficult decisions about where and what care needs to be provided to the person with a life limiting illness and their family and caregivers. What is the purpose of this new resource? The Metropolitan Acute Palliative Care Resource (MAPCARE) is a new palliative care resource which aims to provide an introduction to palliative care for health providers in the acute care setting of Adelaide and is a tool to "point people in the right direction". The tool is available in both hard copy (to specific acute wards and areas) and in web-based format. MAPCARE: • is intended for staff who care for palliative patients whether they access a specialist palliative care service or not • has small sections which use key messages and a broader explanation with links to good resources that are currently available • focuses on the needs of the patient and their caregivers and on the needs of their primary healthcare providers As in all clinical encounters, palliative patients will present at varying stages in their illness trajectory: • for some this will be the time of diagnosis • for others at the time of recurrence of disease or when the impact of disease increases and the caring role becomes difficult • for a small number it will be at the final stages of disease It is clear that the needs of palliative patients are likely to vary widely according to disease stage and status and our responses as health professionals must accordingly be flexible - information contained in this resource is intended to support staff in caring for patients across this illness continuum. What is important to people when they are facing death? • good management of pain and other distressing symptoms • preparation for death • to have a sense of completion • being mentally aware • being involved in decision-making about treatment preferences • being treated as a whole person • having funeral arrangements in place • not being a burden on others • coming to peace with God • maintaining a sense of humour • finding meaning in what is happening • being able to help others Why is having information about palliative care important? Currently 79% of Australians know little or nothing about palliative care services however we are aware that the burden of illness can be exhausting for patients and also for their caregivers in physical, social, emotional and financial terms. Although the numbers of palliative clients for primary health care providers may be small, the impact of this care can be significant and may involve a higher requirement for care coordination. To manage these demands an interdisciplinary team approach to care is a key requirement and access to community supports must be readily accessible. This information can be used to provide care that is planned and coordinated across the multiple and diverse settings in which patients facing a life limiting illness and death (and their family and caregivers) find themselves. References
This project was made possible by funding provided by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aging through the Local Palliative Care Grants Program. We would like
to acknowledge the integral role of our sponsor The Palliative Care
Council of South Australia Inc and our working partners who include:
Special thanks
to the members of the Project Steering Committee: The Palliative
Care Nurses Professional Forum The opinions expressed in this document are not necessarily those of the Australian Government. © Palliative Care Council of South Australia Inc 2007. This work is copyright. |
