Pallium India
Care Beyond Cure
DEAR FRIENDS,
A recent post from International Children’s Palliative Care Network
(ICPCN) says, there are 21 million children living with life-limiting diseases
in this world. Well, a few days ago, we heard about one of them. The news came
from Ms Hanife MacGamwell of CanKids, New Delhi. She forwarded a request from
Dr S. Sathiya Babu in Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu, about a 17-year old girl, Rani
(name changed), orphaned by the horrendous Tsunami of 2004. She survived the
Tsunami to get osteosarcoma with metastases. Her relatives abandoned her. Dr
Sathiya Babu said, “Rani’s hospital says there is nothing more for them to do,
could someone offer her a home and palliative care?”
There was a lot of activity in Pallium India that afternoon. Ms Rakhi
Santhosh, the head of nursing and Mr Manoj G. S., our CEO, decided that if it
is the best thing for the girl, she should come and make a home with us. Ms
Smriti Rana, our volunteer psychologist, who overheard the conversation,
immediately volunteered to find enough funds to bring the girl across, and even
go to Tamil Nadu to bring her. We talked to Dr Mallika Tiruvadanan, who said
she will offer Rani a home and palliative care in Chennai. But we did not have
a phone number to contact the girl. It took many hours to find Dr Sathiya Babu,
through Dr Srikanth, a palliative care physician in Puducherry.
Dr Srikanth found from Dr Sathiya Babu that five days before, the girl
had been sent away from the hospital because “there was nothing more for them
to do.” Dr Sathiya Babu had been looking after her for the previous five days,
in his office. But he had no facility to keep her indefinitely. Finally, Dr
Sathiya Babu found St. Joseph’s Hospice for Dying Destitutes in Dindugal, went
through mazes of formalities and moved her to the hospice. But they had no
palliative care physician and could not offer her symptom control. There she
was, with pain and maggots. And it was heart-breaking to hear that the girl was
now separated from her 14 year old brother. Why on earth! Each was all that the
other had in the world; they had braved the world together in the many cruel
years after the Tsunami. Why did each have to be torn away from the other in
these most important days of the girl’s life?
Well, she is just one of the 21 million. But the boy is not part of
that statistic.
Dr Srikanth travelled 100 kms to the hospice to see Rani. She was in
pain and Dr. Srikanth made sure that she got the morphine that she needed. She
needed one more thing – she asked for an aerated orange drink which she loved.
The nearest village where they could buy it was 20kms away, but on the way to
Chennai in the ambulance, they stopped at the earliest opportunity and made
sure that Rani got all that she wanted – the aerated orange drink, an egg
_dosa_ and an omelet.
Rani is now getting pain relief, love and care in Dr Mallika
Tiruvadanan’s Lakshmi Palliative Care centre.
To everyone who moved mountains to make all this possible – Dr Sathiya
Babu, who kept her in his office room for five days till he could find a place,
and struggled with the legal formalities, Rev. Father Thomas, who accepted her
in his hospice despite all the limitations and lack of facilities, Dr Srikanth,
who spent all his Sunday travelling and many hours on previous days to help
Rani, Raghu, a medical student, who accompanied Dr Srikanth, Ms Smriti Rana,
who was running a fever and still wanted to go to help Rani, Dr Mallika
Tiruvadanan and team who took Rani in with love – we at Pallium India touch
your feet. There sure is God in you.
ICPCN’s another post
[http://www.ehospice.com/internationalchildrens/ArticleView/tabid/10670/ArticleId/15652/language/en-GB/View.aspx]
talks about a support service for families of children needing palliative care
in Germany. It is good to hear that some good things are happening at least in
some countries. Maybe, some day, the few million Ranis and their brothers in
the developing world will not be told, “there is nothing more we can do.”
–
A TRYST WITH THURSDAY [HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2015/06/A-TRYST-WITH-THURSDAY/]
_Smriti Rana, Consulting Psychologist and Facilitator for Children’s
Palliative Care Project, writes about her experiences at Pallium India’s weekly
Children’s Palliative Care Clinic:_
What can I tell you about the Thursday Clinic that would adequately sum
up the essence of what we witness and experience? Most people’s first reaction
to the idea of a clinic for children with life-limiting and life-threatening
illness is to recoil – either with the imagined pain, horror, denial and
sadness that accompany such an idea, or with the belief that this is the realm
of only certain “types” of people, who are “brave”, “courageous” and whatever
other associated synonyms you can conjure.
The simple truth, though, is that the people who work at this clinic
are not flapping around with halos or wings attached to them. These are
everyday folk and by that token, feel everything from intense joy at small
victories that are witnessed, to the darkest of despair at the helplessness in
some situations.
What makes this space extraordinary, as you can guess, are the
children.
The Children’s Palliative Care Clinic was set up in 2012 by Pallium
India in collaboration with SAT Government Hospital at the latter’s premises in
Trivandrum, Kerala, for 4 hours every Thursday. The vision was to reach out and
provide free palliative care to children with a vast range of conditions –
neurological disorders and impairments, metabolic diseases, auto-immune
diseases, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, malignancies and congenital
diseases.
Every week, children of all shapes, sizes and ages stream in, mainly
from underprivileged families, most often with their mothers (many of whom are
single, after having been abandoned by the husbands once a child with a birth
defect is born), sometimes accompanied by both parents or a grandparent, and
very often a sibling. The clinic oscillates between chaos and calm, depending
on the children that week.
Some are shy and diffident, feeling most secure within a fold of mum’s
sari; some are curious and chatty, and some, by virtue of their illness are
locked within their own worlds, giving us very few clues as to what _this_
world looks and feels like to them.
At this point, I must confess that I have always considered myself to
be terrible with children. So when I walked into that clinic three years ago,
it was with more than just a little trepidation. But then an odd thing
happened. It turned out that the kids were really good with _me_.
They forgave my awkwardness, happy to have someone there who was
perhaps a little more nervous than they were. They didn’t mind that I didn’t
speak their language; they understood me anyway. We forged our friendships
relying solely on the universal language of touch, eye-contact and a generosity
of smiles. Most of our conversations happened by way of a shared notebook I
carried with me every week; some glitter pens (never under-estimate the power
of a glitter pen); near-legendary games of knots and crosses or completing
squares; drawings of cats, ducks and elephants – quite literally the only three
animals I can draw, (if they wanted other animals drawn, I would simply extol
the amazing qualities of the three said animals, rendering other animals
unworthy of our hallowed notebook).
Coming up on almost 4 years now, being a little more self-assured
around them has been a hard-won skill. Just as you settle into a sense of
gratification that your work is making a difference, you are blindsided by a
complication of the illness, or an externally induced tragedy, usually related
to economic conditions. We flounder in the shallows, hoping to muster enough
resources to get the ship sailing again while trying very hard to be worthy
companions to the children and their families on their journeys.
The other day I accompanied a little boy into a physiotherapy consult.
He has been in our care since we started, and despite my best efforts at
resistance, has won me over with his almost constant, radiant smile – as
demonstrated in the accompanying photograph. He has chronic kidney disease with
a host of secondaries that have shaken the bravest of us, even our experienced
and unfaltering paediatrician. He has progressively lost mobility and currently
has a broken hip and multiple fractures on his shoulder and arm. One of his
conditions has resulted in several deposits of calculi in his ureter – in
layspeak – he has plenty of kidneystone-like crystals around the clock. I have
seen grown men weep thanks to a kidney stone or two, but not this ten year old.
Back in the clinic, he patiently waited his turn. It has always been easier for
me to watch someone cry than to watch them being brave in the face of
insurmountable odds. That day in the clinic, I watched this little boy exhibit
amazing grace. The only time he faltered was when a shadow briefly crossed his
face as he braced for the excruciating pain he was certain was coming. It was
my undoing.
We have now launched what appears to be a very successful toy donation
drive via social media. The toys are coming in from all over the world and are
lighting up the hearts of not just our little patients, but also their
often-invisible siblings, many of whom have never owned a real toy in their
lives; and providing a stunningly positive connection between these families
and those who are out there in the world on a relatively better wicket. It is
uplifting, heartening and proof of the incredible kindness that exists in the
face of unspeakable pain, making the Thursday clinic a happier space, one in
which the children are bubble-wrapped for a few hours every week.
Over the next few weeks and possibly months, we will bring you more
stories from the Thursday Clinic. In the next few months we also hope to evolve
from just a weekly clinic to a 24/7 facility.
WALK WITH US, INTO THIS MOST SPECIAL OF PLACES.
–
WORLD HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE DAY: HIDDEN LIVES / HIDDEN PATIENTS
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2015/06/WORLD-HOSPICE-AND-PALLIATIVE-CARE-DAY-HIDDEN-LIVES-HIDDEN-PATIENTS/]
The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) and the
International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) have announced the
theme
[http://www.ehospice.com/articleview/tabid/10686/articleid/15506/language/en-gb/hidden-lives-hidden-patients-theme-announced-for-world-hospice-and-palliative-care-day.aspx]
for World Hospice and Palliative Care Day: ‘Hidden Lives / Hidden Patients.’
This year, World Hospice and Palliative Care Day will take place on 10
October. The theme will focus on the patients living in unique conditions who
often struggle with access to palliative care including children, LGBT
individuals, people living with HIV, prisoners, soldiers and those living in
rural settings.
In palliative care, no one should be invisible.There are ‘hidden
patients’ with ‘hidden lives’ for whom the need for palliative care is not
recognised. Children are often neglected and ‘hidden’, with 21 million children
worldwide needing a palliative care approach.
Read More
[http://www.ehospice.com/articleview/tabid/10686/articleid/15506/language/en-gb/hidden-lives-hidden-patients-theme-announced-for-world-hospice-and-palliative-care-day.aspx]
–
SAHAYATRA MALAYALAM NEWSLETTER [HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/SAHAYATRA/]
SAHAYATRA, Pallium India’s Malayalam print magazine, is meant for
anyone interested in palliative care – patients and families, palliative care
professionals, volunteers and well-wishers.
Click here to read the latest issue: http://palliumindia.org/sahayatra/
[http://palliumindia.org/sahayatra/]
To subscribe to SAHAYATRA, please send your complete postal address to
info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
–
NO ONE GETS A DIGNIFIED AND PAIN FREE DEATH.
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2015/06/NO-ONE-GETS-A-DIGNIFIED-AND-PAIN-FREE-DEATH/]
What kind of a system do we have to live with, in which, a
compassionate doctor does not have access to the cheap medicine produced within
the country, but has to prepare and use a dangerous cocktail to relieve
someone’s pain?
Please read the blog
[http://www.theadventuremedic.com/adventures/palliative-care-in-india/] by Dr
Hannah Fox, a dedicated doctor who volunteered for a whole year in Kolkata in
India.
Hannah closes her blog by quoting Dr Sankha Mitra, the founder of East
India Palliative Care (EIPC):
“The poor die in agony in neglect, the middle class die in agony in
ignorance and the rich die in agony on a ventilator. No one gets a dignified
and pain-free death.”
–
DOCTORS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE COMPASSIONATE
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2015/06/DOCTORS-ARE-SUPPOSED-TO-BE-COMPASSIONATE/]
“I failed in my practical ‘case-taking’ examination in internal
medicine because my heart did not allow me to do the ‘case-taking’ on an
18-year-old boy, who was very sick and whose mother was crying, lamenting the
uncertainty and fate. I just sat and listened to them. My professor found my
case-taking unsatisfactory and advised me to leave the profession. To this day,
I have no regrets for doing so. Now that I have attended the classes on
palliative care, I understand that what I did was the right thing, that doctors
are supposed to be compassionate and that there are matters beyond physical
findings.”
“My mother has cancer; she is on remission, getting treatment from a
well-known hospital. She has untreated pain. Till today, I had thought that
palliative care is only for the elderly, dying people. Now I understand that my
mother needs palliative care. Now I have the courage to recommend that for my
mother.”
“Today was the first time that I was being taught by a non-medical
person, a psychologist. That was a big lesson for me; not only the topic, but
the fact that we have a lot to learn from other medical subjects.”
“This was an experience that I never experienced in my last four years
of medical education. I hope this will be repeated every year.”
These were some of the responses that we got from the participants of a
two-day undergraduate training program that we took up in Travancore Institute
of Medical Sciences, near Kollam, on 26 and 27 June, 2015. 120 students,
including both final year students and house surgeons participated in the
training program.
We thank Dr Nadeem, Head of Community Medicine, and the authorities in
the Medical College for making the training possible.
How we wish we had the opportunity and the ability to make this
possible in every single one of the 300-odd medical colleges in India!
–
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR SIX WEEKS CERTIFICATION COURSES
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2015/02/SCHOLARSHIPS-AVAILABLE-FOR-SIX-WEEKS-CERTIFICATION-COURSES/]
The Indo American Cancer Association and John and Editha Kapoor
Charitable Foundation, in association with Trivandrum Institute of Palliative
Sciences, are offering scholarships to practising doctors and nurses, who are
interested in learning fundamentals of Palliative Care.
The scholarships are offered to 12 most deserving candidates every
year, for the following courses:
* 6 weeks Certificate Course in Palliative Medicine
* 6 weeks Certificate Course in Palliative Nursing
The details of the training centres where these courses are offered are
given below. Please contact the respective training-in-charge for application
details.
* Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences, TRIVANDRUM
Dr. Sreedevi Warrier: drsreedevi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:drsreedevi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
* MNJ IO and Regional Cancer Centre, HYDERABAD
Dr Gayatri Palat; Ms Vineela: mnj.palliative@xxxxxxxxx
[mailto:mnj.palliative@xxxxxxxxx]
* Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, JAIPUR
Dr Anjum Joad; Dr Shikha Jain: palliumjaipur@xxxxxxxxx
[mailto:palliumjaipur@xxxxxxxxx]
* The Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute, AHMEDABAD
Dr Geeta Joshi: palliumindia.gcri@xxxxxxxxx
[mailto:palliumindia.gcri@xxxxxxxxx]
* Tata Memorial Centre, MUMBAI
Dr Mary Ann Muckaden: muckadenma@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:muckadenma@xxxxxxxxxx]
* SGCCRI, KOLKATA
Dr Rakesh Roy: Rex4you@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:Rex4you@xxxxxxxxx]
Click here for Guide and Practical Tips for Centres & Coordinators
[http://www.iacaweb.org/what-we-do/palliative-care-fellowship/for-participating-centers-coordinators/]
–
UPCOMING COURSES [HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/COURSES]
TIPS, TRIVANDRUM, KERALA
* SIX WEEK CERTIFICATE COURSE IN PAIN AND PALLIATIVE MEDICINE (CCPPM)
[http://palliumindia.org/courses/ccppm/] IN 2015 – 6 JULY, 7 SEPTEMBER, 2
NOVEMBER.
* SIX WEEK CERTIFICATE COURSE IN PALLIATIVE NURSING (CCPN) IN 2015
[http://palliumindia.org/courses/ccpn] – 6 JULY, 7 SEPTEMBER, 2 NOVEMBER.
* 2-DAY VOLUNTEERS TRAINING PROGRAM is conducted every month at
Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences, Arumana Hospital, Trivandrum.
Anyone interested in learning about palliative care can attend.
* Contact: info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] , +91
471-2468991, 9746745497.
MNJIO & RCC, HYDERABAD, TELENGANA
* ONE MONTH CERTIFICATE COURSE IN PAIN AND PALLIATIVE MEDICINE (CCPPM)
[http://palliumindia.org/courses/hyd_ccppm/] FOR DOCTORS, NURSES, SOCIAL
WORKERS AND VOLUNTEERS – 6 JULY
* Contact: mnj.palliative@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:mnj.palliative@xxxxxxxxx] ,
+91 91772 38901
BMCHRC, JAIPUR, RAJASTHAN
* 6 WEEKS’ CERTIFICATE COURSE IN PAIN AND PALLIATIVE CARE FOR DOCTORS
AND NURSES [http://palliumindia.org/courses/jaipur_ccppm/]
* Contact: Dr Anjum Khan Joad. palliumjaipur@xxxxxxxxx
[mailto:palliumjaipur@xxxxxxxxx] .
GCRI, AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT
* SIX WEEKS CERTIFICATE COURSE IN PAIN AND PALLIATIVE MEDICINE (CCPPM)
[http://palliumindia.org/courses/gcri-ccppm/]
* SIX WEEKS CERTIFICATE COURSE IN PALLIATIVE NURSING (CCPN)
[http://palliumindia.org/courses/gcri-ccpn/]
* Contact: palliumindia.gcri@xxxxxxxxx
[mailto:palliumindia.gcri@xxxxxxxxx]
For more details on the courses we offer, please visit:
http://palliumindia.org/courses/ [http://palliumindia.org/courses/]
–
PALLIATIVE CARE SENSITISATION PROGRAM [HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/CONTACT]
Pallium India is planning to conduct a sensitisation program on
palliative care for Social Work Students, all over Kerala. As part of this,
request letters have been sent to 30 MSW colleges in Kerala.
If you are interested to know more or if you wish to be a part of this
program, please write to us: info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
–
WHAT DID YOU THINK HAPPENS IN A LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY?
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2015/06/WHAT-DID-YOU-THINK-HAPPENS-IN-A-LEGISLATIVE-ASSEMBLY/]
The 1000-odd employees of the Kerala Legislative Assembly have a robust
and compassionate association – the Niyamasabha Employees Sports and Arts
Association (NESA). Some time back, they put together a food festival. The
festival brought in fifty thousand rupees, which they decided must go to people
who may not even have enough to eat. Pallium India got that kind donation from
the Honourable Speaker, Shri N. Sakthan.
Thank you, dear staff members of Kerala Legislative Assembly, for your
compassion and for choosing to be our fellow travellers.
Our thanks also to all NESA office bearers – Shaji R Victor
(President), S Jayakumar (Secretary) and Manoj Robinson (Treasurer).
–
THANK YOU FOR NOTICING OUR PAIN
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2015/06/THANK-YOU-FOR-NOTICING-OUR-PAIN/]
Here is more international attention on the opioid availability
situation in countries like India. Corey Cooper and Gabriele Bettinazzi,
writing for Global Health and Travel
[http://palliumindia.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/GHT-022-PDF-to-Web_Pg42-47.Pain_Management.pdf]
, talk about the opioid access problem in Malaysia, Vietnam and India.
Interestingly, the article
[http://palliumindia.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/GHT-022-PDF-to-Web_Pg42-47.Pain_Management.pdf]
links the current problem (very rightly, we think) to the history of opioid
abuse in the region.
The article notes that though the Parliament amended the NDPS Act of
India, the procedures are not complete. Since the publication of the paper,
that is very recently, the central government did issue the required
notifications
[http://palliumindia.org/2015/05/pain-relief-in-india-another-major-step-forward/]
and the matter is up to the state governments for implementation now.
–
THANK YOU! [HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2015/06/THANK-YOU/]
On 29th May, we had blogged about the donation of medical supplies
[http://palliumindia.org/2015/05/erin-cares/] by Dr Erin Springer. We would
like to acknowledge the kind donation through Erin from the following
companies:
* BSN Medical (Jobst)
* Juzo
* Mediven/CircAid/ CEPcompression
Is it not very heart-warming that people from the other side of the
globe care so much about our suffering people?
–
SEEKING EXPERIENCED INTERNATIONAL PHYSICIANS
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2015/03/SEEKING-EXPERIENCED-INTERNATIONAL-PHYSICIANS/]
Pallium India seeks clinically experienced international physicians who
are able to practice and teach in a variety of settings, include home visits,
outpatient visits, and the inpatient unit. They must be adaptable to new
environments and be able to commit to over 3 months. Pallium India will provide
translators as most patients will prefer to speak Malayalam. Teaching will be
done in English.
If you are interested, please write to us: info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
–
PALLIATIVE CARE INFORMATION CENTRE [HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/INFO-CENTRE]
Contact Pallium India’s Information Centre (9 am to 12 noon) for
information related to palliative care and about establishments where such
facilities are available in India.
*
TELEPHONE: +91-9746745497 OR E-MAIL: INFO@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
*
ADDRESS: PALLIUM INDIA, ARUMANA HOSPITAL, PERUNTHANNI, TRIVANDRUM
*
FOR MORE DETAILS, PLEASE VISIT: HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/INFO-CENTRE/
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/INFO-CENTRE/]
–
THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY OF INDIA EMBRACES PALLIATIVE CARE… SLOWLY, BUT STEADILY
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2015/06/THE-MEDICAL-COMMUNITY-OF-INDIA-EMBRACES-PALLIATIVE-CARE-SLOWLY-BUT-STEADILY/]
The eminent medical teacher and physician, Dr Tushar Shah, organized an
interview learning program at the Nanavati Hospital Auditorium in Mumbai, with
Dr Nandini Vallath, consultant of Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences,
Pallium India. Members of the General Practitioners Association (GPA) of Mumbai
came out with numerous dilemmas that they came across, among patients with long
term illnesses, including cancer.
“The concepts, although most relevant to regular clinical practice,
were new to most of us” was the most prominent feedback given.
We shall work hard at doing more and more of this kind of programs.
–
PALLIATIVE CARE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
* Enabling India: Going to the Movies
[http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/enabling-india-going-to-the-movies-772829?site=full]
* Germany launches first ever 24 hour helpline for families of life
limited children
[http://www.ehospice.com/internationalchildrens/ArticleView/tabid/10670/ArticleId/15652/language/en-GB/View.aspx]
* Talking to Kids about Death and Dying
[http://www.pallimed.org/2015/06/talking-to-kids-about-death-and-dying.html]
* Going Global – a film about children’s palliative care around the
world
[http://www.ehospice.com/uk/articleview/tabid/10697/articleid/15571/language/en-gb/going-global-a-film-about-children-s-palliative-care-around-the-world.aspx]
* Modelling palliative care for the rural poor
[http://www.ehospice.com/ArticleView/tabid/10686/ArticleId/15531/language/en-GB/View.aspx]
* Mexico: Breakthrough for Pain Treatment – Human Rights Watch
[http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/06/15/mexico-breakthrough-pain-treatment]
* New research shows strong evidence of economic benefits of early
palliative care for people with cancer
[http://www.ehospice.com/articleview/tabid/10686/articleid/15429/language/en-gb/new-research-shows-strong-evidence-of-economic-benefits-of-early-palliative-care-for-people-with-can.aspx?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email#.VXbu6bnn7qM.twitter]
* Facing the challenges of palliative care: evolution
[http://blog.oup.com/2015/06/palliative-care-evolution/]
* Opinion: Cancer care — at what cost?
[http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/06/opinion_cancer_care_--_at_what_cost.html]
* Why now? – the increased need for palliative care in modern society
[http://www.ehospice.com/ArticleView/tabid/10686/ArticleId/15459/language/en-GB/View.aspx]
* If access to palliative care and pain relief are human rights, where
are we going wrong?
[http://www.ehospice.com/ArticleView/tabid/10686/ArticleId/15473/language/en-GB/View.aspx]
* 95 percent of world’s population have health issues: Lancet
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/95-percent-of-worlds-population-have-health-issues-Lancet/articleshow/47596331.cms]
* Painless access to narcotic drugs cheers palliative care community
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Painless-access-to-narcotic-drugs-cheers-palliative-care-community/articleshow/47535646.cms]
* Study Points to Need to Share End-of-Life Wish With Family
[http://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/study-points-to-need-to-share-end-of-life-wish/article_5bfb621e-0f91-11e5-bfbb-572da2f314e9.html]
–
PARTING SHOT
YOU LIVE LONGER ONLY WHEN YOU STOP TRYING TO LIVE LONGER?
[HTTP://PALLIUMINDIA.ORG/2015/06/YOU-LIVE-LONGER-ONLY-WHEN-YOU-STOP-TRYING-TO-LIVE-LONGER/]
BY DR M R RAJAGOPAL
Medicine is not an exact science. Doctors’ predictions notoriously turn
out to be untrue at times. Dominic Wilkinson argues
[https://theconversation.com/terminally-ill-teenager-defies-predictions-but-that-doesnt-mean-doctors-were-wrong-42774]
that a minority of people will indeed defy predictions and live longer than
expected. He calls this “the Palliative Paradox” and wonders whether Atul
Gawande was right when he said [http://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/] ,
“you live longer only when you stop trying to live longer”.
Wilkinson compares conventional medical treatment to a river while
palliative care is the path that runs alongside. You may get out of the water
and walk a bit, and may decide to go back into the water and swim a while.
True; this is what happens indeed. Some people continue to swim even when they
have been weakened. They would swim against the current and die exhausted,
swimming. Others may even enjoy the walk to the end.
Let us hope that the two will merge some day and that the water will
flow gentle because the river is now wider and peaceful.
Those who continue to swim in the chaotic waters occasionally may find
that the effort has been worthwhile, even while 99% of their comrades suffer
and wither. For me, I would quote the anonymous young man who wrote: "
Frankly, the most disturbing responses I have encountered to my illness
– the responses that, however well-intentioned, leave me with an awful
unhappiness – are the “miracle” stories, both secular and spiritual. Everyone
has some story – a pilgrimage to Lourdes, a special macrobiotic diet, some
scientist in Arizona who “cured” someone who was also given “just a few months
to live”.
I don’t doubt that such things happen. I know too much about cancer to
underestimate the sheer unpredictability of the disease. But I also know that
telling such stories – at least to me – is like telling a person facing
bankruptcy that you have a friend who bought a lottery ticket for just one
dollar and, what do you know, now the friend is a millionaire!
(Anonymous: A letter to friends. Journal of Pain and Symptom
Management. 21:4; 2001)."
