Definitions An Expert Committee of the
World Health Organization in 2002 approved this revised definition
of palliative care:
Palliative care is
an approach that improves the quality of life of patients
and their families facing the problems associated with
life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief
of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable
assessment and treatment of pain and other problems,
physical, psychosocial and spiritual.
Palliative Care:
- provides relief from
pain and other distressing symptoms
- affirms life and regards
dying as a normal process
- intends neither to hasten
or postpone death
- integrates the
psychological and spiritual aspects of care
- offers a support
system to help patients live as actively as possible
until death
- offers a support
system to help the family cope during the patient's illness
and in their own bereavement
- uses a team approach
to address the needs of patients and their families,
including bereavement counseling, if indicated
- will enhance the
quality of life, and may also positively influence the
course of the illness
- is applicable early in
the course of illness, in conjunction with other
therapies that are intended to prolong life, such as
chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and includes those
investigations needed to better understand and manage
distressing clinical complications
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Hospice is a
philosophy of caring which respects and values the dignity and
worth of each person, and good hospice care is the practical
expression of that personal and professional commitment.
Hospices care for people approaching death, but hospices
cherish and emphasize life, by helping patients (and those who
love and care for them) live each day to the fullest. |
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3 Unity Square
• P.O. Box 98 • Machiasport, Maine 04655-0098 • U.S.A.
Hospicelink 800.331.1620 • Telephone 207.255.8800
Telefax 207.255.8008 •
info@hospiceworld.org |
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