Results

HOME CARE

The Home Care team comprising of social workers, nurse and volunteers visits approximately 1100 families every year.  This gives the unit team increased opportunity to interact with patients’ and their families on their ‘home ground’. The team thus learns of the major problems, particularly financial, that the families face. When the breadwinner of the family suffers from advanced cancer, the future of the entire family is in jeopardy. The Palliative Care Services Unit extends its support to the family in many ways. Help is provided in the form of food grains and provision for daily use. The home Care service also provides bereavement support to the relatives of our patients who depart under our Care. We are the first to start such an initiative thus providing complete holistic Care to the family completing the circle of Care provided to our patients.

REFERRAL TO HOSPICE

When provision of Care at home becomes difficult we refer our patient to Shanti Avedna Sadan, the oldest and only hospice catering to the city of Mumbai. We have an active liaison with the hospice which provides the best hospice Care to all patients free of cost thus helping the patients by caring for their physical problems with no financial burden added on to them.

SOCIAL HELP AND REHABILITATION

It is unfortunate that a life threatening illness like cancer can change the lives of the entire family.  Very often young children are pulled out of school as the family cannot afford to educate them. Older children have to seek petty employment to add to the family income. In order to help the families cope with the crisis and to relieve the patient of a depressing load and feeling of guilt towards the end of life, the Palliative Care Services unit now raises funds to help with the education of these children. In 2009, 102 children have been given financial assistance for school, college and vocational education.

Education and training

The palliative care approach is not disease specific; rather it is applicable to all life- limiting illnesses for which there is no cure. Hence it is important to disseminate training in palliative care to health professionals from varied backgrounds.

Education

1. Fellowship in Palliative care
   
   The palliative care service has a fellowship in Palliative care
   (2 Years Post      Graduate) for the first time. 
   
   
2. Sir Ratan TATA project was first started in the year 2008 with an aim to train Medical as well as Nursing professionals into Palliative Care. The primary aim for conducting such programs was to sensitize the Medical and Nursing professionals about the holistic nature of the care and to spread awareness about palliative care among medical and paramedical professionals thus, having palliative Care as day to day practice for every professional.
   
   

   Till date we have completed one day training program at around 17 nursing as well as Medical Colleges wherein we have trained around 1250 students into Palliative care.
   The response from all the colleges has been overwhelming and we also now plan to cover 20 more new colleges.

   Looking at the progress of the Ratan TATA Project we also plan to now:

   1. To include Professionals from Indian Medical Association in the training program.
   2. Follow up with MUHS for including the subject as the part of curriculum of under graduate medical students and also to train MUHS faculty for the same.

    

3. Conducting the IAPC course at TMC. This is a six month distance learning course conducted by the Indian Association for palliative care. The teaching block and the course exams are conducted at TMC each year.
   
   
4. A ten day training course for volunteers conducted each year.
   
   
5. Any potential volunteers may be inducted from this program.
   
   
6. The team is also invited to lecture at monthly training programs conducted by the CPAA.

RESEARCH AND ACADEMICS IRB APPROVED PROJECTS:

1. Need Analysis of Service Users in Pediatric Palliative care This project explores the specific needs of the patients registered in the pediatric palliative care service and is still ongoing
2. Management of fungating wounds using honey. The study examines the role of honey as an alternative to conventional dressings in fungating wounds in terms of acceptibilty to patients, cost and efficacy.
3. Distress in caregivers in terminally ill cancer patients – a feasibility study”
4. Coping with bereavement- experience of Indian Families 
5. Resilience and coping adopted by families of children suffering from cancer in Palliative care -This is a qualitative study wherein caregivers are interviewed to assess their coping with the death of a beloved. The study is ongoing. 
6. Perspectives of resident pediatric doctors to breaking bad news to families of dying children in the general pediatric setting. This ongoing study looks at the perspectives of junior doctors to death communication in the non-oncology setting.

WORLD HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE DAY

The second Saturday of October is celebrated world-over as World Hospice and Palliative Care Day. It is an occasion to create public awareness about Palliative Care. The Unit organizes different programmes every year which spread awareness and entertain.

Palliative Care integrates the physical, psychosocial and spiritual Care of patients suffering from advanced cancer. It assures the best possible quality of life for these patients, providing relief from pain and other distressing symptoms. Palliative Care affirms life and strives to make the last days of the patient as comfortable as possible.  The team looks after the physical, emotional, practical and spiritual needs of the patients, assuring that they live and die with dignity.