World hospice and palliative care news roundup – 11 February 2016

Categories: In The Media.

Using trained volunteers to enhance end of life care in a hospital setting

UK – The Academy of NHS Fabulous Stuff (blog)

Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (AUHFT) has been using trained volunteers to enhance end of life care for patients and their families/carers since May, 2012.

Palliative care needs a big push: Nagesh Simha

India – The Indian Express

A few years back palliative care, even of the most basic kind, did not merit much attention in India, but things are now looking up with the government having realised the need of palliative care and amending the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances NDPS Act, according to Nagesh Simha, president, Indian Association of Palliative Care.

Palliative care reduces financial burden of patients with advanced cancer, comorbidities

US – HemOnc Today

The immediate initiation of palliative care among hospitalized patients with incurable cancers and chronic comorbid conditions resulted in significant hospital cost savings, according to research published in Health Affairs.

Elder Orphans: Steps that Block the Failures of Modern Death

US – Huffington Post

Who will represent my last wishes if the family or medical team won’t let death do its job? It’s a question every person should address with their family members and health care team. But for elder orphans, the ones who live without an immediate family member, it’s a crucial concern.

Assisted Suicide Study Questions Its Use for Mentally Ill

US – New York Times

A new study of doctor-assisted death for people with mental disorders raises questions about the practice, finding that in more than half of approved cases, people declined treatment that could have helped, and that many cited loneliness as an important reason for wanting to die.

Study examines euthanasia, assisted suicide of patients with psychiatric disorders

The Netherlands – Medical Express

A review of euthanasia or assisted suicide (EAS) cases among patients with psychiatric disorders in the Netherlands found that most had chronic, severe conditions, with histories of attempted suicides and hospitalizations, and were described as socially isolated or lonely, according to an article published online by JAMA Psychiatry.

Changes in place of death in Dumfries and Galloway

UK – End of Life Studies Blog

When I first came to work in Dumfries and Galloway, a rural area in the south west of Scotland, I began to explore the local healthcare scene and was told by several people that our region had a high rate of home deaths. Some reported that everyone wishing to die at home was able to do so. One person told me with confidence that the rates of home death were increasing here, against the general pattern elsewhere.

How to Have Everyday Conversations About Death and Dying

US – Huffington Post

Even though there has been increasing media attention to end-of-life issues over the past year, we still live in a death-phobic, death-avoidant culture.

Small velvet hearts made with love and laced with meaning

ehospice Australia

Over the past five years, Joan Neave has hand crafted nearly 3000 velvet hearts in order to provide comfort to palliative patients and their families.

It is never too late to start

ehospice Kenya

Recently, Thika Level Five Palliative Care Unit team in collaboration with Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA) team and Ann Nyambura from the Kiambu County; Ministry of Health Communications office held a meeting with Dr. Ochieng – Deputy Medical Superintendent and  Margaret – Deputy Nursing Manager, Kiambu hospital to deliberate on ways of integrating Palliative Care in Kiambu Level Four Hospital.

Hospice gets new patient carrier

ehospice South Africa

With Hospice Knysna and Sedgefield’s patient carrier having being stolen a year ago, they are delighted to thank a donor who enabled them to replace it, thus making one of their most important modes of transport again available to patients.

Hospice Buffalo research on dreams featured in NY Times

ehospice USA

Research about dreams and visions at the end of life, conducted by Dr. Christopher W. Kerr and colleagues at Hospice Buffalo, was the focus of a front-page article in the Health & Science Section of The New York Times (February 2, 2016).

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