Paediatric Terminal Illness and the Role of Narrative: An Examination of Hauerwas’s Theology of Suffering and Childhood Palliative Care

Author(s):  
Dennis Lin ◽  
Megan Borjan ◽  
Seanell D. San Andres ◽  
Christina Kelly

This chapter describes the roles of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, and recreation therapy in providing rehabilitation for patients receiving palliative care. Palliative rehabilitation should be included as part of a comprehensive interdisciplinary effort to support patients who experience functional impairments or symptoms that impact daily life and that result from terminal illness. Palliative rehabilitation focuses on creating collaborative goals that address disability and easing symptom burden to maximize or maintain function throughout every stage of disease. Patients receiving the appropriate rehabilitative interventions can adapt to the changes and foster an optimal quality of life. Nurses collaborate with the rehabilitation team so that patients and their caregivers can achieve a greater benefit from their palliative care.


Author(s):  
Elizabeth E. Schack ◽  
Dorothy Wholihan

Anorexia/cachexia syndrome (ACS) is being progressively recognized as a serious aspect of advanced or terminal illness. This chapter focuses on its management, which is complicated by numerous obstacles. These include a lack of clear definitions and guidelines, inconsistency in assessment and management strategies, and knowledge deficits regarding this complex clinical syndrome in health professionals and caregiving families. This chapter highlights this challenge, compounded by the interwoven emotional symbolism of food and nurturance. It focuses on the inherent role of palliative care providers as leaders striving to support, understand, and translate the developing evidence that guides our care. The complex and potentially devastating impact of this problem demands a holistic response. Palliative care nurses are optimally situated to coordinate and administer the necessary multidisciplinary approach to address anorexia and cachexia in advanced, progressive disease.


Author(s):  
Lucy Forrest

In preparing for their death, patients with terminal illnesses may express a need to explore and confirm their identity in terms of their familial, social, cultural and ethnic heritage. This paper examines the mechanisms which underlie the construction of individual and basic group identity, the latter of which is also referred to as ethnicity. The maintenance and evolution of identity over time and across different places is explored, and the use of music as a means to construct, express and sustain identity discussed. Finally, the role of music therapy, and specifically the use of music-facilitated life-review in addressing issues of ethnicity and identity in palliative care is explored through the case study of 'Gretel', an Australian woman of Russian descent who was diagnosed with a terminal illness. This article is based on a paper written in partial fulfilment of the Masters of Music Degree in Ethnomusicology at Goldsmiths College, University of London, 1999.


2020 ◽  
pp. 55-64
Author(s):  
N. Zarechnov ◽  
A. Kuznetsov ◽  
N. Seliverstova

The article is devoted to the problem of nutrition of patients receiving palliative care. The authors emphasize the importance of nutritional support for this group of patients and describe the experience of enteral and paraenteral nutrition.


2002 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 883-894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber Gum ◽  
C.R. Snyder
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Tan Seng Beng ◽  
Wong Ka Ghee ◽  
Ng Yun Hui ◽  
Ooi Chieh Yin ◽  
Khoo Wei Shen Kelvin ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Dying is mostly seen as a dreadful event, never a happy experience. Yet, as palliative care physicians, we have seen so many patients who remained happy despite facing death. Hence, we conducted this qualitative study to explore happiness in palliative care patients at the University of Malaya Medical Centre. Method Twenty terminally ill patients were interviewed with semi-structured questions. The results were thematically analyzed. Results Eight themes were generated: the meaning of happiness, connections, mindset, pleasure, health, faith, wealth, and work. Our results showed that happiness is possible at the end of life. Happiness can coexist with pain and suffering. Social connections were the most important element of happiness at the end of life. Wealth and work were given the least emphasis. From the descriptions of our patients, we recognized a tendency for the degree of importance to shift from the hedonic happiness to eudaimonic happiness as patients experienced a terminal illness. Significance of results To increase the happiness of palliative care patients, it is crucial to assess the meaning of happiness for each patient and the degree of importance for each happiness domain to allow targeted interventions.


2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire E. Johnson ◽  
Afaf Girgis ◽  
Christine L. Paul ◽  
David C. Currow

AbstractObjective:Late or non-referral of patients to specialist palliative care (SPC) services may affect patients' and their carers' quality of care. General practitioners (GPs) are key professionals in linking people with SPC. The aim of this article is to assess GPs' perceptions and SPC referrals for their patients with advanced cancer and differences between metropolitan (M GPs) and non-metropolitan GPs (NM GPs).Method:Self-report survey mailed to a stratified random sample of 1,680 Australian GPs was used.Results:Thirty-one percent (469) of eligible GPs returned surveys. More M GPs than NM GPs reported referring >60% of their patients for SPC (p = 0.014); and that a more comprehensive range of SPC services was available. The most frequently reported referral prompts were: presence of terminal illness (M GPs, 71%, NM GPs, 66%, ns (not significant)); future need for symptom control (69% vs. 59%, ns) and uncontrolled physical symptoms (63% vs. 54%, ns). Reasons for not referring were: doctor's ability to manage symptoms (62% vs. 68%, ns) and the absence of symptoms (29% vs. 18%, p = 0.025). Higher referral was associated with: having a palliative care physician or consultative service available; agreeing that all patients with advanced cancer should be referred, and agreeing that with SPC, the needs of the family are better met.Significance of results:Referrals for SPC were primarily disease-related rather than for psychological and emotional concerns. Measures are needed to encourage referrals based upon psychosocial needs as well as for physical concerns, and to support GPs caring for people with advanced cancer in areas with fewer comprehensive SPC services.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 1000-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong-Lan Ling ◽  
Hong-Jing Yu ◽  
Hui-Ling Guo

Background: Truth-telling toward terminally ill patients is a challenging ethical issue in healthcare practice. However, there are no existing ethical guidelines or frameworks provided for Chinese nurses in relation to decision-making on truth-telling of terminal illness and the role of nurses thus is not explicit when encountering this issue. Objectives: The intention of this paper is to provide ethical guidelines or strategies with regards to decision-making on truth-telling of terminal illness for Chinese nurses. Methods: This paper initially present a case scenario and then critically discuss the ethical issue in association with ethical principles and philosophical theories. Instead of focusing on attitudes toward truth disclosure, it aims to provide strategies regarding this issue for nurses. It highlights and discusses some of the relevant ethical assumptions around the perceived role of nurses in healthcare settings by focusing on nursing ethical virtues, nursing codes of ethics, and philosophical perspectives. And Confucian culture is discussed to explicate that deontology does not consider family-oriented care in China. Conclusion: Treating each family individually to explore the family’s beliefs and values on this issue is essential in healthcare practice and nurses should tailor their own approach to individual needs regarding truth-telling in different situations. Moreover, the Chinese Code of Ethics should be modified to be more specific and applicable. Finally, a narrative ethics approach should be applied and teamwork between nurses, physicians and families should be established to support cancer patients and to ensure their autonomy and hope. Ethical considerations: This paper was approved by the Ethics Committee of The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. The authors have obtained consent to use the case study and it has been anonymised to preserve the patient's confidentiality.


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