Journal of palliative medicine
-
Palliative care is described as comprehensive care focused on preventing or relieving physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual suffering in patients with life-threatening illnesses. As national interest in increasing access to palliative care grows, hospice organizations may consider expanding their missions to provide palliative care to individuals with chronic and life-limiting illnesses who do not meet traditional hospice criteria. Before expanding operations, hospice organizations must know if there is need and support within the communities they serve. ⋯ Several issues need further exploration before hospice organizations expand their missions.
-
Although parents experience the death of adult children diagnosed with cancer, most of the literature on adult child death has examined the issues of violent death or suicide. Where death from cancer has been studied, the focus has been mainly on psychological outcomes. Little is known about parents' experiences with this phenomenon. ⋯ The conflict of wishing to "parent" a dying adult child while recognizing the child's autonomy creates uncertainty for parents at an already stressful time. Facilitating parent-child communication during the illness is important. After the death of the adult child parents may continue to face difficulty with their perceived role in society (parent and/or bereaved person), and sometimes within their family. Health care professionals should make greater efforts to include the parents of the dying adult in the circle of care. The bereavement experience of these parents is intense and long-lasting. Further research is needed regarding the ways in which health care providers can best assist parents to successfully integrate this profound loss.
-
As more patients die in the hospital under the supervision of palliative care teams, there is a growing interest in hospital-based bereavement services. As part of the palliative care program development at our 463-bed community-based teaching hospital, we conducted a survey of top national palliative care programs, local hospice programs, local funeral homes, and the original staff of the hospital's prior program. The significance of certain data stood out in terms of the planning of delivery of services at our hospital. Three issues were of primary concern to the study team: providing families with services beyond the "minimal" of a single card or telephone call; the position of a bereavement coordinator would be necessary to manage or oversee the delivery of these services; and community volunteer aid was needed to ensure the program's financial viability.
-
This study describes the process and population involved in pediatric advance care planning at one Midwest medical center. The outcomes and the parents' perceptions of this planning are also discussed. ⋯ Even though the topic of their child's death is difficult, the majority of the interviewed parents found the advance care planning process for the child helpful because it assured the best care for the child, including preserving their child's quality of life and avoiding unnecessary suffering.