From the Washington Post: National Scorecard Ranks Palliative Care Across Country http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/02/AR2008100201725.html
'Palliative', according to the World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/cancer/palliative/definition/en/ , "provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms; affirms life and regards dying as a normal process; intends to neither hasten or postpone death; integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient 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 counselling, if indicated; will enhance quality of life, and may also positively influence the course of 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."
You can check out your state's ranking at the Center to Advance Palliative Care site:
http://www.capc.org/
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2 comments:
Teri--great post! I plan to link to it.
Haven't looked up my state yet (denial? perhaps).
Jeanne
Hi Teri,
Most people equate "palliative care" with "hospice" or "end-of-life" care. But palliative care can be important at any phase of survivorship, from the time of diagnosis on.
So thanks for posting about this scorecard.
With hope, Wendy
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