Pallium India
Care Beyond Cure
* ~~~~~~~~~~~~ *
! October 2016 !
* ~~~~~~~~~~~~ *
http://palliumindia.org/2016/09/october-2016/
September 30, 2016
DEAR FRIENDS,
GOODBYE, JO. WE LOVE YOU.
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2016/09/GOODBYE-JO-WE-LOVE-YOU/]
_Dr M. R. Rajagopal writes:_
Our dear Jo, Professor Jo Eland, is no more.
She came into our lives, sprinkled love abundantly, conquered our
hearts and now she is gone. She died in the morning of the 25th of September,
2016.
In December 2009, she led a group of young students from Iowa to us on
a cultural immersion program. And slid beautifully into our lives. She faced
problems; Lord, plenty of them; and taught us a lesson in equanimity in the way
she dealt with them. And thereafter she would come at the end of every year, a
new flock with her to whom as well as to us she gave of her love in abundance.
Initially for me, she was just a loving Professor of Nursing; but I did
not know much about her. Then while attending a discussion at a meeting in New
York I heard one of the participants speaking about a landmark study by one
Professor Eland! I looked her up, and sure enough, there it was, the pioneering
work on pain in children. And that was not the only time. Her name would pop up
in discussions in various parts of the world, almost unfailingly whenever pain
in children was discussed.
An avid photographer, she would capture things that most of us would
never see. If you would like to see a sample, go to
http://joeland.smugmug.com/Outside-the-United-States/India-20132014 ;
[http://joeland.smugmug.com/Outside-the-United-States/India-20132014] ;
As a mentor, if there was a problem somewhere, Jo would quietly find
and fix it. I remember once, soon after their arrival in Trivandrum, the girls
in the group all went on an excited shopping spree – except one who had no
money. She had scraped together enough to come on the trip, but had none left
for luxuries like shopping. Jo pressed some money into her hands and made sure
that she had as much fun as the others.
For all of us, end of December every year was a time to wait for Jo and
her new team. And then one year, she wrote that she had cancer. “But I will be
there”, she assured us. She would manage the three weeks with us in between
chemotherapy sessions. And she continued to come every year. Two years back she
introduced Dr Ann Broderick to us with the team. In her thoughtful way, I now
realise, she was ensuring that the visits and the mentoring will continue.
Dear Jo, you have taught me acceptance with courage. You dealt with the
inevitable end as philosophically as the disease and treatment. We will miss
you Jo; we will miss you a lot.
If there is a somewhere out there, I shall see you there. Until then,
let me hold you in my heart, dear friend.
–
EVERYONE MUST UNDERSTAND PAIN MEDICINES
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2016/09/EVERYONE-MUST-UNDERSTAND-PAIN-MEDICINES/]
We keep coming across patients who consume “ordinary” painkillers and
get into life-threatening problems.
Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Aceclofenac, Piroxicam and many other NSAIDs
(Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can have serious consequences if the
prescribed dose is exceeded or if they are taken in situations where there is
risk of kidney disease, bleeding or erosions in the stomach wall. And this
becomes particularly dangerous as mosquito-borne viral fevers are becoming
rampant. See the news in Times of India
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Painkillers-turning-poison-pills/articleshow/54353433.cms]
of Sep 16, 2016. (Thank you Mr Hamza for calling this to our attention).
THIS IS NOT TO ADVISE ANYONE TO AVOID ALL PAIN MEDICINES.
Pain itself can be harmful. This is only to remind everyone that unlike
the much-feared oral morphine which is very unlikely to result in
life-threatening situations, inappropriate consumption of NSAIDs can be
dangerous. (Well, that is certainly not to say that oral morphine is
recommended in these viral fevers either. It is not).
SO WHAT SHOULD ONE DO?
* Take pain-killers only on doctors’ advice.
* Avoid NSAIDs beyond the prescribed dose.
* Take a medicine that your doctor would prescribe to avoid stomach
trouble whenever you are taking NSAIDs.
* Avoid NSAIDs in any situation when there is not enough water in the
body (like when one has vomiting or diarrhoea, or when one is unable to drink
enough water).
* Avoid NSAIDs in any situation in which the kidney is not functioning
properly.
* Avoid NSAIDs in presence of any tendency for bleeding.
–
LIFE WITH DIGNITY; DEATH WITH DIGNITY.
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2016/09/LIFE-WITH-DIGNITY-DEATH-WITH-DIGNITY/]
In a renewed effort to gain for all of us the right to live with
dignity even with disease (and to die with dignity too), a group of people got
together on 18 September 2016 at Changampuzha Mandiram, Sahitya Academy,
Thrissur to discuss Government of India’s draft law for protection of
terminally ill patients and medical practitioners. There was active
participation in the proceedings by patients, family members, doctors and
several interested others.
The event was organised under the joint auspices of the Pain and
Palliative Care Society Thrissur, Pallium India and Indian Association of
Palliative Care (Kerala).
The participants demanded that the draft law must be amended to ensure
the following:
* Any advance directive (living will) made by a competent person in
accordance with the provisions laid down in this law must be binding on the
medical system.
* Those who decide against artificial life support must be offered
palliative care by the medical system, and
* The provision in the draft law for having to approach the high court
for permission to withdraw life support must be removed in favour of more
practical provision for decision by institutional ethics committee.
–
PATIENT GET-TOGETHER ON WORLD PALLIATIVE CARE DAY, OCTOBER 8
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2016/09/PATIENT-GET-TOGETHER-ON-WORLD-PALLIATIVE-CARE-DAY-OCTOBER-8/]
“It was heaven to feel the waves on my feet. I shall never forget
this,” said a person on a wheelchair, who, since her spinal cord injury, had
never been able to see the sea again. We had made it happen on a World
Palliative Care Day.
This year again, we are organizing a get-together for the people we
care for and their families on October 8, 2016, at Shanghumugham Beach,
Trivandrum.
A trip to the beach for some of you would be just a matter of finding
the time. For many others, it could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
CAN YOU HELP?
For each patient and family the expense estimated (for food and a gift)
is ₹900 (US $15). Please donate [http://palliumindia.org/donate/] whatever you ;
can to make this event a happy one for our patients and their families.
WORLD HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE DAY is a unified day of action to
celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world. The theme
for this year’s World Palliative Care Day is ‘ Living and Dying in Pain: It
doesn’t have to happen
[http://www.thewhpca.org/world-hospice-and-palliative-care-day/about] .’ ;
The aims of the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day are to increase
the availability of hospice and palliative care throughout the world by
creating opportunities to speak out about the issues; to raise awareness and
understanding of the needs – medical, social, practical, spiritual – of people
living with a life limiting illness and their families; and to raise funds to
support and develop hospice and palliative care services around the world.
For more details on how you can help, please contact us:
info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] / 97467 45502 ;
–
WEBSITE LAUNCHED – HEALTHY INDIA ALLIANCE
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2016/09/WEBSITE-LAUNCHED-HEALTHY-INDIA-ALLIANCE/]
16 pan-India organizations committed to NCD prevention and control have
got together to form the Healthy India Alliance.
Do please visit the alliance’s new website
http://healthyindiaalliance.org/ [http://healthyindiaalliance.org/] which has ;
been launched on World Heart Day, the 29th of September 2016.
Pallium India is proud to be a member of this truly healthy alliance!
–
SUCH A POSITIVE FEEL! [HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2016/09/SUCH-A-POSITIVE-FEEL/]
It was Pallium India’s privilege to do a half day workshop on
palliative care for the members of Indian Cancer Society, Delhi on Sunday, 25
September 2016. What a positive feel! It is certainly heartening that focus on
quality of life is growing in all circles associated with cancer- whether it be
oncologists or other palliative care activists.
Kudos to the group! One third of the audience seemed to be cancel
survivors. These people have lived it; they know all the nuances of suffering
in cancer and they make beautiful things to come out of their experience. Thank
you for all you do, ICS Delhi. We shall look forward to working with you!
–
VACANCY: PALLIATIVE CARE PHYSICIAN AT PALLIUM INDIA, TRIVANDRUM
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2016/09/VACANCY-PALLIATIVE-CARE-PHYSICIAN-AT-PALLIUM-INDIA-TRIVANDRUM/]
* Organization: Pallium India [http://www.palliumindia.org] ;
* Job Title: Palliative Care Physician
* No. of Requirements: 1 (Nos.)
* Nature of Job: Permanent – Full Time
* Remuneration: Depends on candidates’ KSA’s
* Place of Job: Pallium India Trust, Arumana Hospital Building,
Eanchakkal-West Fort Road, Vallakadavu P.O., Trivandrum
JOB DESCRIPTION:
As a Palliative Care Physician,
* Provide symptom management, pain relief and supportive care for the
patient in inpatient care, outpatient clinic and home based care.
* Facilitate clarification of patient and family goals of care.
* Facilitate information sharing and decision making regarding patient
care.
* In addition to providing expert symptom management, as a palliative
care physician you need to devote time to intensive family meetings, ensure
coordinated care across health care settings, link patients and family members
to support groups and other services and improve access to information so
patients can make confident, well-informed decisions about their care.
* Consult with fellow physicians and the interdisciplinary team in
establishing a written plan of care at intervals specified in the plan.
* Adhere to the practice of confidentiality regarding patients,
families, staff, and the organization.
* Assist in the development of standards of care and practice.
* Participate first and organise academic sessions and training
programs for skill development.
* Facilitate and participate awareness campaigns in the community.
* Collaborate with similar Palliative care organisations and oncology
community to create awareness and advocate for palliative care in India and
overseas.
* Undertake and guide research and projects in the field of Palliative
care.
* Any other duties assigned by the reporting authorities.
QUALIFICATION: M.B.B.S (Full-Time) from a recognized university
EXPERIENCE: > 2 years
Interested candidates can send detailed and updated CV at
hr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:hr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] – Please mention “APPLICATION ;
FOR PALLIATIVE CARE PHYSICIAN” in the subject.
FOR MORE DETAILS, CONTACT: Arathy V Nair +91 9746745501
–
IAPCON COIMBATORE 2017
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2016/09/IAPCON-COIMBATORE-2017/]
[http://www.iapcon2017cbe.com/] ;
The 24th International Conference of the Indian Association of
Palliative Care [http://www.iapcon2017cbe.com/] will be held at the CODISSIA in ;
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu from 10 to 12 February, 2017. The conference is being
jointly organised by the G. Kuppuswamy Naidu Memorial Hospital and Coimbatore
Cancer Care Foundation Trust.
* The aim of this conference is to “ADD VALUE” to
* AWARENESS: Increasing awareness amongst the public and health care
providers is the key to deliver Palliative Care to all who need it.
* LEARNING: It is essential that health care providers, community and
family engage and learn to Care.
* DECIDING RIGHT: Right decisions made at the right time ensures
patient centred care. “It’s your life, it’s your choice”
* CARE UNTIL THE END: Palliative Care is a human right and it has to be
made available to all until the very end.
Visit the conference website [http://www.iapcon2017cbe.com/] to ;
register and to submit abstracts.
–
CERTIFICATE COURSE IN ESSENTIALS OF PALLIATIVE CARE ORGANISED BY GANGA PREM
HOSPICE, RISHIKESH
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2016/09/CERTIFICATE-COURSE-IN-ESSENTIALS-OF-PALLIATIVE-CARE-ORGANISED-BY-GANGA-PREM-HOSPICE-RISHIKESH/]
_LET’S TRAIN OURSELVES IN PALLIATIVE CARE BECAUSE DEATH DOES NOT
RESPECT OUR WEALTH OR SOCIAL STANDING AND BECAUSE IT’S EVERYONE’S BUSINESS._
A lot of patients suffering from life-limiting diseases like cancer,
stroke, chronic renal failure etc. can benefit from palliative care services.
However, most people needing palliative care and pain relief in North India
live and die without access to this service. Many of the dying patients are
unable to reach hospitals and die in untrained hands at home.
In an effort to bring palliative care to the needy by developing a
strong institutional back up and extensive trained community support, GANGA
PREM HOSPICE, RISHIKESH INVITES APPLICATIONS from interested candidates for a
certificate course on the Essentials of Palliative Care.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION FORM
[http://palliumindia.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Certificate-Course-Rishikesh-Application-Form.pdf]
for Certificate Course in Essentials of Palliative Care (Certified by Indian
Association for Palliative care) organized by Ganga Prem Hospice.
ABOUT THE COURSE
Date: 26-28 Nov 2016
Venue: Seema Dental College, Rishikesh.
LAST DATE TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION: 20TH OCTOBER, 2016
Contact: Dr Aditi Chaturvedi
Phone: 09410507009
Email: aditichaturvedi1978@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:aditichaturvedi1978@xxxxxxxxx] , ;
aditi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:aditi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
–
A BIT MORE OF SUFFERING BEING SCOOPED OUT – IN ANAND, GUJARAT.
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2016/09/NEW-PALLIATIVE-CARE-CENTRE-OPENED-IN-ANAND-GUJARAT/]
Pallium India has collaborated with Pramukhswamy Medical College,
Anand, Gujarat, to start a palliative care centre.
Dr Prabhakaran Nair, Project Head, Pallium India, writes: "
“At Pramukhswamy Medical College, Karamsad, Anand, I attended the
anniversary celebrations of their cancer center and had the opportunity to meet
and discuss palliative care with Smt Amrita Patel, the Chairperson of the
Trust, Dean Dr Utpala Kharod and many of the faculty in Oncology and Neurology
who regularly refer patients to the palliative care center. Smt Patel was all
praise for the effectiveness of palliative care in the service of chronic
patients. She offered all support to this venture. We would like to express our
gratitude to her.
The committed services of Dr Alpa Patel, Dr Dinesh Kumar, Dr Shyam and
Dr Namrata along with Ms Rekha Mcwan has helped the center to present good
results.”"
During the last few years, Pallium India had helped establish a
palliative care centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat and also to upgrade the palliative
care centre in GCRI, Ahmedabad to a training centre with financial support from
Pallium India-USA.
We know the pioneers in those institutions as well as Rekha, Alpa,
Dinesh, Shyam and Namrata will keep expanding the services to reach out to the
rest of the state. We are fortunate to have these sincere committed colleagues.
Best wishes, friends.
–
NEW PALLIATIVE CARE SERVICE INAUGURATED IN HIMACHAL PRADESH
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2016/09/NEW-PALLIATIVE-CARE-SERVICE-INAUGURATED-IN-HIMACHAL-PRADESH/]
Hon’ble Health Minister of HP, Shri Kaul Singh Thakur formally
inaugurated the new palliative care service in Dr Rajendra Prasad Government
Medical College, Kangra, Tanda, Himachal Pradesh.
Funded by Tata Trust, this is a new collaborative venture between
Pallium India and RP Government Medical College. Congratulations Dr Parveen
Sharma and team. –
How India Fails To Care For Its Terminally Ill Patients And Their Families
[http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2016/09/state-of-palliative-care-in-india] ;
_By Mekhala Dave, Youth Ki Awaaz_
Walking into a hospital has never been stress-free. There is a
repertoire of people, gushing in and out, with grim and soul-numbing faces. 70%
of the patients are devoured with life-threatening diseases, incurable and
agonising. Most of them are at advanced stages, proximity to the precipice of
life’s departure is nearer.
How long will they survive is a bearing inquiry, like many, I have
often deliberated for loved ones. There are no answers conclusively and days,
as numbers, begin to decline to the mortality of facts. The disease spreads
within every crumb of the patient’s mental and physical sanity. Out of 70% of
the patients, only less than 4% receive treatment for their immeasurable pain.
Life threatening diseases are not a personal experience as patients are
attached to families and hinge on the support of the health care system. But
patients march an ensuing battle with the fallacies and inconsistencies of the
system. Tactics of consumerism is even more ubiquitous, today, fogged in our
limited senses to recognise the actual reality. The underlying perilous
pharmaceutical market and government establishments have agendas for their
self-interests. Consumerism favors the established, like harsh prescriptions to
incorrigible wounds. Precious knowledge of medical jargon is kept from citizens
as there is often misguidance and an absence of transparency, mangled into the
space of existing hospital structure that cannot be envisaged or broken
through. We are pushed into an adversarial front, between them and patients
along with care givers, in the pit of survival of the fittest.
Continue reading>>
[http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2016/09/state-of-palliative-care-in-india/] ;
–
MAHARASHTRA: PALLIATIVE CARE CENTRES HIT BY SHORTAGE OF DOCS, MORPHINE
[HTTP://WWW.THEHINDU.COM/NEWS/CITIES/MUMBAI/PALLIATIVE-CARE-CENTRES-HIT-BY-SHORTAGE-OF-DOCS-MORPHINE/ARTICLE9120478.ECE]
_By The Hindu_
Two years after palliative care centres were set up in eight of
Maharashtra’s most backward districts to cater to patients with incurable
medical conditions and acute pain, the project has hit a roadblock: six of
these centres have been without doctors for six months now.
While nurses and medical social workers are available, they are not
palliative care specialists and, more importantly, cannot prescribe the
pain-relieving morphine. Also, five of these centres hold the licence for
morphine but only three have it in stock.
The centres, set up in 2014 as part of the National Palliative Care
Policy, offer both in-patient and out-patient services. They were a boon for
the 970 cancer patients registered with them, saving them the trip to the Tata
Memorial Hospital in Mumbai for morphine. In all, 21,638 patients are
registered with these centres at Amravati, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Wardha,
Nandurbar, Satara, Washim and Bhandara.
Continue reading >>
[http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/palliative-care-centres-hit-by-shortage-of-docs-morphine/article9120478.ece]
–
KARNATAKA: MORPHINE TO BE MADE AVAILABLE IN ALL GOVT. HOSPITALS
[HTTP://WWW.THEHINDU.COM/NEWS/NATIONAL/KARNATAKA/MORPHINE-TO-BE-MADE-AVAILABLE-IN-ALL-GOVT-HOSPITALS/ARTICLE9094853.ECE]
_By The Hindu_
Although the Union government amended the Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 in 2014 to relax restrictions on the
procurement and sale of morphine, terminally ill patients in the State are
still dependent only on Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology for the “magic
medicine”.
Now, raising hopes of hundreds of patients who require oral morphine,
the State government’s Palliative Care Policy is aimed at making the medicine
available for free in all government healthcare centres.
Nearly 100 patients from across the State come to Kidwai institute in
Bengaluru every month to collect the medicine. Also, with morphine in the
solution form available only in Kidwai in the country, patients from other
States also come to the institute as taking the pain relieving medicine in the
solution form is easier than consuming it in the tablet form.
Continue reading >>
[http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/morphine-to-be-made-available-in-all-govt-hospitals/article9094853.ece]
–
UPCOMING EVENTS
* OCTOBER 8, 2016: World Hospice and Palliative Care Day: Get-together
of patients and families at Trivandrum
* OCTOBER 30, 2016: Musical Night featuring M. Jayachandran and team,
at Kochi, Kerala
* NOVEMBER 7, 2016: 6 weeks certificate course for doctors and nurses
at Trivandrum, Kerala. Contact: info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
* NOVEMBER 7, 2016: 1 month Certificate Course in Palliative Medicine
for doctors and nurses at Hyderabad, Telengana. Contact:
mnj.palliative@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:mnj.palliative@xxxxxxxxx] ;
* NOVEMBER 14, 2016: Six weeks certificate course for doctors and
nurses in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Contact: palliumindia.gcri@xxxxxxxxx
[mailto:palliumindia.gcri@xxxxxxxxx] ;
For details, contact: 9746745502 / info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] . Find out more about our courses at: ;
http://palliumindia.org/courses/ ;
–
WION REPORTS ON PALLIATIVE CARE IN INDIA
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2016/09/WION-REPORTS-ON-PALLIATIVE-CARE-IN-INDIA/]
Palliative care – and lack of it – in media in India again. Thank you
Priyanka Verma, for the report.
–
TOP 5 BOLLYWOOD FILMS ABOUT PALLIATIVE CARE
_By Jean Jacob_
I recently came across a top 10 list of Hollywood films about
palliative care [http://arts.pallimed.org/2008/05/top-10-palliative-films.html] ;
. Despite being a palliative care physician and a movie lover, there was only
one movie on the list that I had even heard about. This is hardly surprising
considering no one would make a summer blockbuster on such dark subject matter.
I figured that if we don’t support these movies, no one else will either. So I
made a note to watch one film from the list every weekend. It also got me
thinking about Indian films that depict palliative care issues like living with
life-limiting illnesses, end of life conversations, and the dying process.
I asked my colleagues in the department of palliative care at MNJ
Institute of Oncology in Hyderabad to name their favorite Indian films that
realistically portray the issues we deal with at work every day. There weren’t
many we could think of. Either there aren’t enough films being made about
quality of life and death in India or we aren’t watching those kinds of films.
One of my colleagues said she spends all day dealing with death and dying and
she wanted an escape from all that when she watched a movie. Doesn’t watching a
light comedy seem more appealing? Probably. But there are some arguments for
watching movies about palliative care too.
Movies are considered as cultural artifacts. The type of movies we make
and the type of movies we watch says a lot about us as a society. They are a
mirror to our collective psyche. Films also influence the conversations we have
in our homes and across the country. When Deepika Padukone said in an interview
that she suffered from depression, the whole country started talking about
mental health. If Salman Khan took off his shirt and shouted “Mujhe palliative
care chahiye!” (I want palliative care) it would echo louder and for longer in
the hearts and minds of the _aam janta_ than all our awareness campaigns and
advocacy efforts put together. If we want to encourage conversations about the
futility of life-prolonging treatments or the ethics of mercy killing, then
watching (and getting others to watch) movies that depict those conversations
is one way to do it.
I decided to make a list of top 10 Indian films about palliative care.
But then I realized two things. Firstly, we couldn’t come up with ten or eight
or even six Indian movies about terminal illness or dying with dignity or the
grieving family. Secondly, the movies we could name were all in Hindi, and it
wasn’t fair to call such a list as Indian. So I present to you this list of Top
5 Bollywood films about palliative care (Spoiler alert!)
* ANAND (1971): Directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and starring Rajesh
Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. Rajesh Khanna’s portrayal of a terminally ill
cancer patient who didn’t wish to spend his last days confined to a hospital
bed was nuanced and ahead of its time. With his constant desire to be happy and
make others happy, even in the face of impending death, the character of Anand
asked us all questions about quality of life and facing our own mortality.
Amitabh Bachchan as the young oncologist coming to terms with the limitations
of chemotherapy was also relatable.
* MUNNA BHAI M.B.B.S. (2003): Directed by Rajkumar Hirani and starring
Sanjay Dutt as a criminal who joined a medical college because it was his
father’s dream that his son become a doctor, this film won the national award
for best popular film. Sanjay Dutt’s character, loosely based on Patch Adams,
foregoes the paternalistic model of doctor-patient relationships in favor of
the “jadoo ki jhappi” model which embodies the idea of compassionate care. The
way he communicated with a comatose patient named Anand who the other doctors
ignore, talking to him as if they were having a normal conversation, is a great
example of how we should treat patients with delirium. When Zaheer, a
terminally ill cancer patient, felt depressed, they arranged dancing girls to
cheer him up. If that isn’t treating psychosocial symptoms and improving
quality of life, then what is?!
* GUZAARISH (2010): Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, this film
starred Hrithik Roshan as a quadriplegic former magician who petitioned the
court for euthanasia as his health deteriorated and he faced the prospect of
being admitted into an ICU for futile treatments. The court rejected the plea,
but a home nurse (played by Aishwarya Rai) agreed to assist him in his suicide.
They held a farewell party where all his friends and family got together to hug
him one last time and the movie ended with a shot of a laughing Hrithik Roshan,
implying that his wish for a dignified death would be fulfilled. The theme of
the movie is relevant today as a new Euthanasia bill is being drafted in India
and the country is debating the ethical dilemmas involved.
* PIKU (2015): Directed by Shoojit Sircar and starring Amitabh Bachchan
and Deepika Padukone. Amitabh Bachchan won a national award for best actor for
his portrayal of an eccentric elderly man with chronic constipation who
irritated his relatives with his idiosyncrasies. The film depicted how a
father’s poorly controlled physical symptoms could impact his relations with
his daughter and also how frustrating this daily routine of caring and
supporting could be for the daughter. In the end, the long-standing
constipation problem got solved with some dietary and life style modifications
and when the character of Amitabh Bachchan passed away in his sleep, his
daughter remarked that he always wanted a peaceful death.
* WAITING (2015): Directed by Anu Menon and starring Naseeruddin Shah
and Kalki Koechlin. The two main leads of this film form an unlikely pair, two
souls caught in limbo between living and grieving a loss. They spend their days
and nights waiting outside an ICU where their comatose spouses are admitted and
connected to ventilators. The character played by Shah doesn’t want to let go
of his wife of many years and the character played by Koechlin doesn’t know
whether her husband of a few weeks would have wanted a risky brain surgery that
may leave him paralyzed. The film talks about patient autonomy and medical
decision-making and also about how difficult it can be to let go.
So this was our list of top 5 Bollywood films about palliative care,
presented in chronological order. Do you agree with it? If you know of other
Hindi films that deal with this subject or films in any regional language that
depict palliative care issues, please mention it in the comments below or write
to us directly so that we can prepare a truly Indian list of films about
palliative care!
_(The writer is a palliative care physician working in Hyderabad. He
wants to acknowledge the inputs he received while making this list from Dr.
Gayatri Palat and others in the palliative care department at MNJ Institute of
Oncology. Write to him at jeanjacob82@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:jeanjacob82@xxxxxxxxx] ;
)_ –
New study suggests why older people get less palliative care than younger
people
[http://www.ehospice.com/uk/articleview/tabid/10697/articleid/20426/language/en-gb/new-study-suggests-why-older-people-get-less-palliative-care-than-younger-people.aspx]
_By eHospice UK_
Older people are missing out on palliative care because healthcare
professionals can find it difficult to know when to introduce this approach in
older people, according to a new report from the University of Edinburgh and
Marie Curie.
By examining the end of life experiences of 65 patients in Scotland,
researchers from the University of Edinburgh identified that palliative care
was often not accessed by this group either because patients were not aware of
this type of support and/or healthcare professional did not think it relevant
for their patients.
Among older people there is often a lack of a clear diagnosis of dying
– people are viewed merely as ‘old’ or ‘infirm’ – meaning that there is no
obvious ‘trigger’ for healthcare professionals to make a referral to palliative
care, despite the benefits this approach could offer.
Continue reading>>
[http://www.ehospice.com/uk/articleview/tabid/10697/articleid/20426/language/en-gb/new-study-suggests-why-older-people-get-less-palliative-care-than-younger-people.aspx]
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PARTING SHOT
“FIRST OF ALL, I FEEL VERY LOVED”
“I asked the physician with whom I was working to ask the patient what
he most valued about the visits from the palliative care team. His response
captured the essence of humanism in cancer care; translated from Malayalam, he
stated simply, “First of all, I feel very loved””.
Read the article by Dr Christopher Booth
[http://jgo.ascopubs.org/content/early/2016/08/26/JGO.2016.006296] in the ;
Journal of Global Oncology about his experiences in RCC and in Pallium India,
Trivandrum.
