Palliative Care Australia report on a recent national forum recently held in Canberra to discuss end of life issues and the current health system and as I suspected the results aren't great.
Yes Australians are dying badly, our palliative care planning and services are a disgrace generally and Australians facing terminal illness and the prospect of palliative care in this country will face hell on earth. Most experiences including my own as a carer have been and eyeopener, what I saw and experienced in palliative care facillities make me fear for my own mortality and the possibility of facing a terminal illness myself some day a frightening prospect. not just because of facing death but because of the lack of care, being left soiled and coping with pain because staff aren't qualified to provide appropriate pain management let alone know how to best treat my symptoms.
"My criticism here is that the forum was only attended to by medical professionals but they really need to involve the community, carers and those facing palliative care sooner rather than later in these discussions. I know I'd like to have my say also. "
To read the article in full here is the link:-
http://www.palliativecare.org.au/Portals/46/media/Australians%20Dying%20Badly%20-%20PCA%20Media%20Release%205%20Nov%202009.pdf
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Demand Grows for Palliative Care
Humanistic medicine attracts more doctors
By MARNETTE FEDERIS The Seattle Times
SEATTLE — It was a personal experience that first exposed Dr. Christine Cofer to palliative medicine.
During her late teens, when her father was suffering from metastatic kidney cancer and conventional treatments could no longer help him, he started receiving hospice care.
The nurses and social workers who came into their home were a calming presence during a difficult time, Cofer, an internist, said.
"It was a really positive experience for my family."
When it was time to choose a subspecialty, Cofer, a 42-year-old former substance-abuse counselor, decided to go into palliative medicine.
As demand grows for palliative care, a field focused on alleviating pain and increasing quality of life for seriously ill patients and their families, so does the need to formally train doctors in the subspecialty.
Palliative medicine, which includes hospice care, addresses the physical, psychological and spiritual well-being of patients with advanced diseases and their family members.
Doctors must learn pain-management techniques, how to deal with the emotions of patients and how to work with a team of nurses, social workers and even spiritual advisers.
There are 62 medical-school programs across the country offering such training.
One is the University of Washington School of Medicine which, in partnership with Providence Hospice of Seattle, is piloting the only palliative fellowship program in the state.
Cofer, first physician to participate in the University of Washington program, said her interest in the humanistic side of medicine attracted her to palliative care.
"It was sort of a natural step for me," Cofer said. Palliative medicine "allowed me to practice medicine the way I was taught in medical school — you spend more time with people to talk about the things that contribute to suffering."
Most medical students are exposed to palliative and hospice care in school and in residencies, but until recently, formal training and certification in the field has not been widely available.
Palliative medicine was designated a subspecialty in 2006 by the American Board of Medical Specialties and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The board offered the first certification exam last year.
Trainees in the yearlong program must complete a residency in one of 11 specialties that include internal medicine, anesthesiology, family medicine, and obstetrics and pediatrics. They must also train in hospitals, hospice settings and a long-term facility such as a nursing home.
That this type of care is becoming mainstream represents "a sea change for the practice of medicine," said Wayne McCormick, director of the University of Washington's Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program.
Still, many lay people may not know what hospice care is until they have a personal experience with a palliative-care team, he said. And "because it's so patient- and family-centered ... the value becomes palpable when you're actually in the middle of it."
———
(c) 2009, The Seattle Times.
By MARNETTE FEDERIS The Seattle Times
SEATTLE — It was a personal experience that first exposed Dr. Christine Cofer to palliative medicine.
During her late teens, when her father was suffering from metastatic kidney cancer and conventional treatments could no longer help him, he started receiving hospice care.
The nurses and social workers who came into their home were a calming presence during a difficult time, Cofer, an internist, said.
"It was a really positive experience for my family."
When it was time to choose a subspecialty, Cofer, a 42-year-old former substance-abuse counselor, decided to go into palliative medicine.
As demand grows for palliative care, a field focused on alleviating pain and increasing quality of life for seriously ill patients and their families, so does the need to formally train doctors in the subspecialty.
Palliative medicine, which includes hospice care, addresses the physical, psychological and spiritual well-being of patients with advanced diseases and their family members.
Doctors must learn pain-management techniques, how to deal with the emotions of patients and how to work with a team of nurses, social workers and even spiritual advisers.
There are 62 medical-school programs across the country offering such training.
One is the University of Washington School of Medicine which, in partnership with Providence Hospice of Seattle, is piloting the only palliative fellowship program in the state.
Cofer, first physician to participate in the University of Washington program, said her interest in the humanistic side of medicine attracted her to palliative care.
"It was sort of a natural step for me," Cofer said. Palliative medicine "allowed me to practice medicine the way I was taught in medical school — you spend more time with people to talk about the things that contribute to suffering."
Most medical students are exposed to palliative and hospice care in school and in residencies, but until recently, formal training and certification in the field has not been widely available.
Palliative medicine was designated a subspecialty in 2006 by the American Board of Medical Specialties and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The board offered the first certification exam last year.
Trainees in the yearlong program must complete a residency in one of 11 specialties that include internal medicine, anesthesiology, family medicine, and obstetrics and pediatrics. They must also train in hospitals, hospice settings and a long-term facility such as a nursing home.
That this type of care is becoming mainstream represents "a sea change for the practice of medicine," said Wayne McCormick, director of the University of Washington's Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program.
Still, many lay people may not know what hospice care is until they have a personal experience with a palliative-care team, he said. And "because it's so patient- and family-centered ... the value becomes palpable when you're actually in the middle of it."
———
(c) 2009, The Seattle Times.
I'm back......
I'm back after a leave of absence following my father's untimely demise. I've been on a rollercoaster guys. I lost my father suddenly and it wasn't due to his Advanced Prostate Cancer but due to medical negligence which occurred at St Vincents Public Hospital in Darlinghurst, Sydney after he went through an Intrathecal Spinal Block procedure to relieve pain.
All I will tell you now is that this matter is with the Health Care Complaints Commission and the State Coroner's Office of NSW.
I would love to hear from those who have lost their loved ones due to medical incompetence/negligence and I will cover this at some point on this blog. I am happy to publish your stories on this blog. Legislation covering this needs to change to make those medical professionals accountable.
All I will tell you now is that this matter is with the Health Care Complaints Commission and the State Coroner's Office of NSW.
I would love to hear from those who have lost their loved ones due to medical incompetence/negligence and I will cover this at some point on this blog. I am happy to publish your stories on this blog. Legislation covering this needs to change to make those medical professionals accountable.
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