Palliative care

Palliative Care

• Does palliative care mean giving up, or hastening the end?

  iAdds context

  “Being referred to palliative care is not in itself a sign that a person's time is short.”

  Background about who needs palliative care worldwide, not about what a referral means for one person. The World Health Organization estimates that of the 56.8 million people who need palliative care each year, 25.7 million are in their last year of life, so under half of those who need it are in their final year.

  Each year, an estimated 56.8 million people, including 25.7 million in the last year of life, are in need of palliative care.

  Key facts

• How can palliative care help in ALS/MND?

  ✓Supports this

  “Palliative care offers expert help with the symptoms that affect quality of life.”

  The World Health Organization defines palliative care in these terms: finding, assessing and treating pain and other problems early so that suffering is prevented and relieved. It names pain and difficulty breathing as the two most frequent and serious symptoms among people who need palliative care.

  It prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification, correct assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual.

  Key facts

• How can palliative care help in ALS/MND?

  ✓Supports this

  “Palliative care covers the people close to you as well as the person who is ill.”

  The World Health Organization describes palliative care as improving quality of life for families as well as patients, says it uses a team approach that supports patients and their caregivers, and states that carers' quality of life improves as well.

  Palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and that of their families who are facing challenges associated with life-threatening illness, whether physical, psychological, social or spiritual.

  Key facts

• What is palliative care, and what is it not?

  ✓Supports this

  “Palliative care can start early in the illness rather than only near the end of life.”

  The World Health Organization says palliative care works best when it is brought in early in the illness, and lists the belief that it is only for the last weeks of life among the misconceptions that keep people from it.

  Palliative care is most effective when considered early in the course of the illness.

  What can countries do?

• When should I think about palliative care?

  ✓Supports this

  “Palliative care can help earlier in the illness than many people expect, not only near the end of life.”

  The World Health Organization says palliative care is at its most useful when it is brought in early in the illness, and that early palliative care improves quality of life as well as reducing avoidable hospital admissions.

  Palliative care is most effective when considered early in the course of the illness.

  What can countries do?

• Who provides palliative care and how do I get connected?

  ✓Supports this

  “How palliative care is funded differs a great deal from country to country.”

  A World Health Organization survey of 194 member states found funding for palliative care available in 68 per cent of countries, and only 40 per cent reporting that services reached at least half the people who needed them. WHO also says national health policies often leave palliative care out altogether.

  According to a WHO survey relating to noncommunicable diseases conducted among 194 Member States in 2019: funding for palliative care was available in 68% of countries and only 40% of countries reported that the services reached at least half of patients in need (1).

  Insufficient access to palliative care