| The World Health
Organization's (WHO) definition of palliative care includes the
offer of a support system to help the family cope during the
patient's illness and during their bereavement. This means that
palliative care does not cease with the death of the patient.
Support for the family can be provided by trained health care
workers, volunteers and members of the clergy. One expert suggests
that spiritual needs can seldom be met by anyone other than those
with training. Family support in
palliative care is crucial because terminal illness causes anxiety
to family as well. The family's needs for bereavement support
should be assessed individually. Bereavement support can range
from a single visit to psychotherapy over several years. Bereaved
persons must adapt to prevent consequences such as morbidity or
mortality. Resolution of grief is a complex task because
bereavement involves a complex mixture of feelings, needs and
behaviours.
Worldwide, there is sufficient evidence in
the palliative care services to prepare members of a palliative
care team for what is expected from them in carrying out
bereavement support work. Team members need training and personal
development especially for communication skills, assessment of
needs, and assessment of emotional changes related to death.
It will take some time for researchers to
find out what sort of palliative care bereavement support services
are needed in the future because this is a new and complex area of
services.
If you have questions related to this article you may e-mail me
at doctor@soontongkiong.com quoting the contents of the article.
About the author
DR SOON is a medical practitioner. He holds four degrees. MBBS
(University of Malaya), MBA (University of East Asia), LLB (Hons)
(University of Wolverhampton), Master of Medicine (Edith Cowan
University
:
Dr SOON is the owner of AskMyVisitor.com and MyScriptDoctor.com
where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information
on
many medical, health and lifestyle topics. |
