Tag: Pallium India.

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Pallium India advocates community participation to strengthen the delivery of palliative care

Oct 11, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #“Manjuthulli”, #“My Care, #Dr M R Rajagopal, #My Comfort, #Pallium India., #World Hospice and Palliative Care (WHPC) Day

“My Care, My Comfort” is the theme for World Hospice and Palliative Care (WHPC) Day which falls on October 10 this year. In India, there is a growing increase in suffering from communicable and non-communicable diseases, increasing the number of people who desperately need palliative care. Out of the 1.2 billion people in India, less than 2% has access to palliative care. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Universal Health Coverage spans promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care. Palliative Care addresses all serious health-related suffering, going beyond physical to psychological, social and spiritual wellbeing.

Catastrophic health expenditure in India pushes 55 million people below the poverty line in a single year. Like in most low and middle-income countries, the need for palliative care is greater in India than in the west simply because the disease-specific treatment does not reach patients adequately or early enough. One of the biggest misconceptions about palliative care is that it is exclusively restricted to end-of-life care or to terminally ill cancer patients. Palliative care should be part of the care plan from the time of diagnosis of any chronic or advanced illness to improve the quality of a patient’s life and that of his/her family through the illness trajectory and even after bereavement.

Dr M R Rajagopal, Chairman – Pallium India said, “Palliative care is an essential and defining part of Universal Health Coverage. Some major barriers to access to palliative care in India have been overcome, but the implementation of created policies and laws still requires massive efforts by both the government system and non-government organizations. The 2014 declaration by the World Health Assembly asking all member states to integrate palliative care with all health care comes as an important reminder to us to boost current efforts.”

Accessing palliative care from the time of diagnosis through the period of treatment ensures caregivers and family members receive the best support to provide care and comfort for their loved ones at home or in care facilities. The COVID-19 pandemic is an amplifier of suffering and has increased the relevance of palliative care in our healthcare system, in sustainably managing treatment and strengthening the system. Health workers require familiarity with psychological, social and spiritual care and comfort that comes with palliative care services and training. To address these pressing needs, Pallium India has been training doctors online on the basics of palliative care and running an online support group for our overstretched healthcare providers.

“Manjuthulli” – the annual art exhibition co-ordinated by Pallium India’s volunteers, staff and well-wishers will be held virtually for the first time to commemorate WHPC Day on 10 October 2020. The proceeds from the sale of the photographs and paintings will be utilised to support the educational and other needs of children of families of patients. Several eminent artists have donated their paintings for Manjuthulli and have expressed their wholehearted support. Pallium India’s patients and their family members have also donated their paintings, photographs and artworks. The Manjuthulli art exhibition and sale will be on until November 10.

The need for palliative care is growing yet the progress in access to care and delivery is moving slowly. Governments and leaders must take cognisance of the increasing burden on the healthcare system and take the required actions to integrate palliative care into mainstream healthcare, Dr Rajagopal added.

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Why we need to talk about Death and Grieving

Aug 18, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Chairman – Pallium India, #Death and Grieving, #Director - Programs, #Dr M R Rajagopal, #Pallium India., #Smriti Rana

Thiruvananthapuram, August 18, 2020: The coronavirus outbreak has put death at the forefront but conversations about grief, death or impending death are considered inauspicious in many societies. To promote a culture of speaking more openly about death and the difficult emotions accompanying grief, Pallium India is facilitating a discussion to encourage more conversations amongst families about making appropriate choices and thereby reducing avoidable suffering.

The program consists of two virtual events on August 20 and 24, leading up to the death anniversary of Dr Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (July 8, 1926 – August 24, 2004) Swiss-American psychiatrist, a pioneer in near-death studies, and author of the internationally best-selling book, On Death and Dying.

Thursday, August 20 (5 to 6 pm IST) – A conversation with an eclectic panel of experts from healthcare, civil society and public health to shine a light on how individuals may reshape their thoughts, fears and concern about death, equip them to have difficult conversations within their families and with healthcare providers and make decisions that are most appropriate for a meaningful life of quality. It is also a conversation about celebrating what it means to die with dignity when the time comes. The panel discussion will be held over a Zoom platform.

Click here to register – https://echo.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Q_YYEHn6TGylFLYu4SEsIQ
Monday, August 24 (8 to 9 pm IST) – An evening of remembrance in honour of those we have loved and lost and to reinforce the need to embrace life, prepare to face death and celebrate life fully. This open event will be held over a Zoom platform.

In the current pandemic, death is all around us forcing people to not only think about their own mortality but also examine the many ways in which life may be lived more meaningfully and face death with more equanimity and grace. Dr M R Rajagopal, Chairman – Pallium India and a board member of the EKR Foundation said, “There is strength in recognising that death is the inevitable consequence of life and that it is healthy to talk about it. This event encourages each one of us to recollect memories of how people understood death in their childhood, grief and guilt over losing loved ones, the pain of disease management, and how we would like to die.”

Impending death without the opportunity for expressions of love and a final goodbye often leads to complicated grief for the family with major social and emotional adverse consequences. The missed opportunity to get one’s affairs in order or have important conversations too can have a multi-generational impact.

The crisis has denied many patients appropriate healthcare leading to tremendous but avoidable suffering before death. People are dying in isolation and families deprived of the usual rituals of mourning and farewell are faced with a kind of grief that has never been experienced at this scale.

“Advancements in modern medicine, technology and interventions have led Indians to become a death-denying society. By removing the taboo surrounding death and making it a conscious part of daily life can help overcome some of the more ungrounded fears propagated by modern myths. Opening oneself to conversations around end of life care planning and having these discussions early on can empower families to be better prepared, reduce the sense of helplessness, access more appropriate and compassionate care and even create a support system in which grief is experienced and expressed in a healthier way”, said Smriti Rana, Director – Programs, Pallium India.