Download or read book Models and Strategies to Integrate Palliative Care Principles into Care for People with Serious Illness written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2018-03-28 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Palliative care is the interdisciplinary specialty focused on improving quality of life for people with serious illness and their families. This interdisciplinary care is provided by doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains and others who work together with the patient's other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. Such care is appropriate for people at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and can be provided together with curative treatment to address clinical, emotional, psychosocial and spiritual concerns of the patient and their family. To better understand how the principles of palliative care can be integrated into the overall provision of care and services to those facing serious illness, the Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness held a public workshop in April 2017. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
Download or read book Meeting the Needs of Older Adults with Serious Illness written by Amy S. Kelley and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-09-01 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meeting the Needs of Older Adults with Serious Illness: Challenges and Opportunities in the Age of Health Care Reform provides an introduction to the principles of palliative care; describes current models of delivering palliative care across care settings, and examines opportunities in the setting of healthcare policy reform for palliative care to improve outcomes for patients, families and healthcare institutions. The United States is currently facing a crisis in health care marked by unsustainable spending and quality that is poor relative to international benchmarks. Yet this is also a critical time of opportunity. Because of its focus on quality of care, the Affordable Care Act is poised to expand access to palliative care services for the sickest, most vulnerable, and therefore most costly, 5% of patients- a small group who nonetheless drive about 50% of all healthcare spending. Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. It focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness—whatever the diagnosis or stage of illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. Research has demonstrated palliative care’s positive impact on health care value. Patients (and family caregivers) receiving palliative care experience improved quality of life, better symptom management, lower rates of depression and anxiety, and improved survival. Because patient and family needs are met, crises are prevented, thereby directly reducing need for emergency department and hospital use and their associated costs. An epiphenomenon of better quality of care, the lower costs associated with palliative care have been observed in multiple studies. Meeting the Needs of Older Adults with Serious Illness: Challenges and Opportunities in the Age of Health Care Reform, a roadmap for effective policy and program design, brings together expert clinicians, researchers and policy leaders, who tackle key areas where real-world policy options to improve access to quality palliative care could have a substantial role in improving value.
Download or read book Communication in Palliative Nursing written by Elaine Wittenberg and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2020-01-23 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The first edition of Communication in Palliative Nursing was published in 2012 and became the market leader for nurses wanting to learn more about how to improve and teach palliative care communication. For the last 8 years, it has remained the only text solely focused on the vital role of nurses in palliative care. During this time, the COMFORT model was taught to nurses nationwide who brought the curriculum back to their own institutions and taught components of the model to more than 10,000 healthcare providers across the United States (Wittenberg, Ferrell, Goldsmith, Ragan, & Buller, 2017). Numerous journal articles and research studies have been produced to highlight the principle components of the COMFORT model and test its effectiveness among healthcare audiences across a variety of clinical and educational settings. Through this all, as the model was disseminated to clinical audiences of bedside nurses, nurse leaders, nursing students, and interprofessional learners, feedback was captured about COMFORT. Comments revealed major components of the model that were working and weren't working for the nurses and other healthcare providers who utilized the strategies with patients and families, and began using curriculum tools for teaching and integrating palliative care communication instruction. So, much like the model's grounding in a transactional communication approach, which relies on the co-created interaction between parties, it was clear that the COMFORT model was also ebbing and flowing and had to change. More importantly, palliative care has been growing, changing, expanding, and becoming more sophisticated, more wide-spread! Now more than ever before, palliative care is provided in the home, clinic, or inpatient setting and serves patients who are seriously or chronically ill and their families. It became evident that in order to continue improvements to the model and to keep up with the changing landscape of palliative care and palliative patient populations, a new edition was necessary. Before we highlight the changes, it is never too early to overstate our steadfast commitment to the following principles: We believe that communication research and theory can shape palliative care practices, providing tools for a variety of contexts. We believe that palliative care, offering compassionate, holistic treatment for patients and their families, will not be possible without caring for the entire person (body and mind). We believe that communicating about palliative care must begin at diagnosis of serious illness, not just at end-stages. We believe in a patient-centered approach to communication that emphasizes the role of the family caregiver in the illness trajectory. We believe that intentional communication emphasizing team processes among physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and other healthcare professionals improves palliative care practice. We believe that palliative care should be introduced early in the communication education of all health professionals. We believe that education about palliative care and communication must extend to patients and families who can then advocate for and partner more productively in such services. We believe that communication with the family caregiver is essential for the treatment of pain and symptom management. We believe that frequent conversations are needed across the disease/care trajectory, as patients and families encounter ongoing points of decision-making"--
Download or read book Palliative Care Nursing written by Sheila Payne and published by McGraw-Hill Education (UK). This book was released on 2008-08-01 with total page 733 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "It has been a true pleasure to have had the opportunity to peruse the second edition ofPalliative Care Nursing.... This book, authored predominately by UK-based experts, succeeds in presenting sophisticated thoughts in readily accessible language… Each chapter begins with a summary of key points, with both classic and new relevant literature well integrated into the text. I have also been particularly impressed with the editors’ final chapter, in which they synthesize a number of crucial issues for the future development of palliative care… this second edition makes a significant contribution to both the palliative care literature as well as to nursing literature." Carol Tishelman, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden "I findPalliative Care Nursinga very attractive book for nurses but also for other disciplines to learn about nursing and to learn about palliative care. The book is voluminous, informative and educationally well constructed. Frameworks and models in this book will give nurses the opportunity to make up their own process to offer support and be a carer for the incurably ill person and his/her family as a skilled companion…. This book gives the possibility for nurses to spread one clear voice about palliative care nursing. Congratulations to all the authors…." Martine De Vlieger, Palliatieve Hulpverlening Antwerpen v.z.w., University of Antwerp, Belgium "This book should be compulsory reading for nurses and other health care workers who are involved in the care of people in the final stages of life. It provides a comprehensive account of the major issues (clinical, professional, sociological and political) that confront contemporary palliative care while also offering strategies to move forward. The ‘real world’ of palliative care is described and critiqued and the rhetoric is dispensed with. This book is a vital resource for nursing practice, learning and teaching." Associate Professor, Peter Hudson (RN, PhD). Director of the Centre for Palliative Care Research and Education, St Vincent’s Hospital and The University of Melbourne, Australia. "This is an excellent book for anyone completing either an academic qualification or who wants to understand the who, what and where of palliative care both in the UK and abroad. Its detail is balanced with case studies and practical illustrations that bring the academic nature of its writing to life...For reference purposes for anyone completing academic work it has to be an absolute must." Nursing Times The second edition of this innovative textbook has been extensively revised and updated to reflect new global developments in palliative care. This textbook reviews current research and examines the evidence base for palliative care policy and practice. Over a third of the chapters are newly commissioned from leading international contributors. Building on the widely acclaimed original edition, the textbook focuses on palliative care for adults in a variety of care environments. The first three sections use a novel framework – the trajectory of life-limiting illness – to cover key issues including: What happens to people as they become ill How individuals cope as they near death and are dying How families and friends deal with bereavement and loss The final section addresses contemporary issues in nursing and inter-professional working. The book is written with helpful overviews and in an informative and reader-friendly style. There are numerous examples of clinical situations and research studies which are examined in depth to illustrate debates in palliative care. The textbook spans the range of end-of-life contexts which are of relevance to practitioners, educationalists and researchers. Palliative Care Nursingis essential reading for post-qualification nursing students and all nurses and health and social care professionals who provide care to people with advanced illness and those who are near the end of life. This broad ranging critical text will be invaluable to students and practitioners working with people and their families near the end of life.
Download or read book Palliative Care in Oncology written by Bernd Alt-Epping and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-03-26 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Palliative care provides comprehensive support for severely affected patients with any life-limiting or life-threatening diagnosis. To do this effectively, it requires a disease-specific approach as the patients’ needs and clinical context will vary depending on the underlying diagnosis. Experts in the field of palliative care and oncology describe in detail the needs of patients with advanced cancer in comparison to those with non-cancer disease and also identify the requirements of patients with different cancer entities. Basic principles of symptom control are explained, with careful attention to therapy for pain associated with either the cancer or its treatment and to symptom-guided antineoplastic therapy. Complex therapeutic strategies for palliative cancer patients are highlighted that involve both cancer- and symptom-directed options and address a range of therapeutic aims. Issues relating to drug use in palliative cancer care are fully explored, and a separate section is devoted to care in the final phase. A range of organizational and policy issues are also discussed, and the book concludes by considering likely future developments in palliative care for cancer patients. Palliative Care in Oncology will be of particular interest to palliative care physicians who are interested in broadening the scope of their disease-specific knowledge, as well as to oncologists who wish to learn more about modern palliative care concepts relevant to their day-to-day work with cancer patients.
Download or read book What s in the Syringe written by Juliet Jacobsen and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A member of the palliative care team meets Alicia for the first time. They meet in the infusion bay, where the thin curtains offer symbolic privacy. Alicia is in her early 60s, and had gone to the doctor with a persistent cough. Subsequent tests revealed metastatic lung cancer. She has just finished her first cycle of first line chemotherapy, which she tolerated well. A quick review of her chart reveals no obvious physical symptoms such as pain or shortness of breath. Her social history is notable for the recent death of her husband. She has one adult child, who lives nearby"--
Download or read book Living Well with a Serious Illness written by Robin Bennett Kanarek and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2023-04-04 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A practical guide for understanding how palliative care can improve quality of life for patients and their caregivers. Robin Bennett Kanarek was a registered nurse working with patients suffering from chronic medical conditions when her ten-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia. As her son endured grueling treatments, Robin realized how often medical professionals overlook critical psychological, emotional, and spiritual support for people with life-threatening illnesses. Living Well with a Serious Illness is the culmination of decades of Robin's work to advance the field of palliative care. Although palliative care is often associated with hospice and end-of-life planning, Kanarek argues for a more expanded definition that incorporates palliative care earlier in patients' journeys. Living Well with a Serious Illness helps patients and their caregivers understand • what palliative care entails • how to access the support they need when going through a serious illness • what questions to ask medical professionals • how to navigate advanced care planning • definitions of common terminology used with end-of-life planning • the importance of spiritual care, coping strategies, and emotional support • how to become an advocate for palliative care This book illuminates the importance of seeing patients as individuals who can benefit from care for their body, mind, and spirit—the core tenet of palliative care.
Download or read book Communication in Palliative Nursing written by Elaine Wittenberg-Lyles and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The first edition of Communication in Palliative Nursing was published in 2012 and became the market leader for nurses wanting to learn more about how to improve and teach palliative care communication. For the last 8 years, it has remained the only text solely focused on the vital role of nurses in palliative care. During this time, the COMFORT model was taught to nurses nationwide who brought the curriculum back to their own institutions and taught components of the model to more than 10,000 healthcare providers across the United States (Wittenberg, Ferrell, Goldsmith, Ragan, & Buller, 2017). Numerous journal articles and research studies have been produced to highlight the principle components of the COMFORT model and test its effectiveness among healthcare audiences across a variety of clinical and educational settings. Through this all, as the model was disseminated to clinical audiences of bedside nurses, nurse leaders, nursing students, and interprofessional learners, feedback was captured about COMFORT. Comments revealed major components of the model that were working and weren't working for the nurses and other healthcare providers who utilized the strategies with patients and families, and began using curriculum tools for teaching and integrating palliative care communication instruction. So, much like the model's grounding in a transactional communication approach, which relies on the co-created interaction between parties, it was clear that the COMFORT model was also ebbing and flowing and had to change. More importantly, palliative care has been growing, changing, expanding, and becoming more sophisticated, more wide-spread! Now more than ever before, palliative care is provided in the home, clinic, or inpatient setting and serves patients who are seriously or chronically ill and their families. It became evident that in order to continue improvements to the model and to keep up with the changing landscape of palliative care and palliative patient populations, a new edition was necessary. Before we highlight the changes, it is never too early to overstate our steadfast commitment to the following principles: We believe that communication research and theory can shape palliative care practices, providing tools for a variety of contexts. We believe that palliative care, offering compassionate, holistic treatment for patients and their families, will not be possible without caring for the entire person (body and mind). We believe that communicating about palliative care must begin at diagnosis of serious illness, not just at end-stages. We believe in a patient-centered approach to communication that emphasizes the role of the family caregiver in the illness trajectory. We believe that intentional communication emphasizing team processes among physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and other healthcare professionals improves palliative care practice. We believe that palliative care should be introduced early in the communication education of all health professionals. We believe that education about palliative care and communication must extend to patients and families who can then advocate for and partner more productively in such services. We believe that communication with the family caregiver is essential for the treatment of pain and symptom management. We believe that frequent conversations are needed across the disease/care trajectory, as patients and families encounter ongoing points of decision-making"--
Download or read book Communication as Comfort written by Sandra L. Ragan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008-05-15 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This exceptional work explores the complexities of communication at one of the most critical stages of the life experience--during advanced, serious illness and at the end of life. Challenging the predominantly biomedical model that informs much communication between seriously ill and/or dying patients and their physicians, caregivers, and families, Sandra L. Ragan, Elaine M. Wittenberg-Lyles, Joy Goldsmith, and Sandra Sanchez-Reilly pose palliative care--medical care designed to comfort rather than to cure patients--as an antidote to the experience of most Americans at the most vulnerable juncture of their lives. With an author team comprised of three health communication scholars and one physician certified in geriatrics and palliative medicine, this volume integrates the medical literature on palliative care with that of health communication researchers who advocate a biopsychosocial approach to health care. Applying communication theories and insights to illuminate problems and to explain their complexities, the authors advocate a patient-centered approach to care that recognizes and seeks to lessen patients’ suffering and the many types of pain they may experience (physical, psychological, social, and spiritual) during life-threatening illness.
Download or read book Palliative Care written by Diane E. Meier and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2010-03-29 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Palliative Care is the first book to provide a comprehensive understanding of the new field that is transforming the way Americans deal with serious illness. Diane E. Meier, M.D., one of the field's leaders and a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius award" in 2009, opens the volume with a sweeping overview of the field. In her essay, Dr. Meier examines the roots of palliative care, explores the key legal and ethical issues, discusses the development of palliative care, and presents ideas on policies that can improve access to palliative care. Dr. Meier's essay is followed by reprints of twenty-five of the most important articles in the field. They range from classic pieces by some of the field's pioneers, such as Eric Cassel, Balfour Mount, and Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, to influential newer articles on topics such as caregiving and cost savings of palliative care. The reprints cover a wide range of topics including: Why the care of the seriously ill is so important Efforts to cope with advanced illness Legal and ethical issues Pain management Cross-cultural issues Philosophical perspective The demand for palliative care has been nothing short of stunning—largely because of palliative care's positive impact on both the quality and the cost of care provided to seriously ill individuals. By providing a wide-ranging perspective on this growing field, this book will serve as a guide for developing meaningful approaches that will lead to better health care for all Americans.
Download or read book Palliative Care written by Jane E. Loitman and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-06-16 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A clinical case-based handbook has a role in general clinicians’ practice of caring for patients with serious or life-limiting illness. The explosion of the field of Hospice and Palliative Medicine impacts all physicians and healthcare providers. Fellowship trained s- cialists graduate in greater numbers annually. These and more seasoned specialists are now certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties as subspecialists. Research in this field is expanding in scope and quantity, and peer reviewed journals devoted to this work are multiplying. Moreover, peer reviewed journals in primary care and other subspecialties of medicine regularly include papers that focus on end-of-life care, quality of life issues, and symptom management. Overall then, access to clinical information necessary to care for patients with life-limiting illness is not only essential, but also increasingly available. This case-based clinical book aims to help with the actual practice of caring for patients with life-limiting illness. Numerous texts and journals exist to provide the data to inform care, yet there remains a need to find practical points and information about the practical application of the principles of palliative care. Thus, we hope that the cases, key points, and practical tips will help health care providers who are not experts already in palliative care in the care of patients with serious illness and challenging problems. Some chapters follow one patient through the course of an illness to highlight the applicability of palliative care throughout the disease process.
Download or read book Financing and Payment Strategies to Support High Quality Care for People with Serious Illness written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2018-07-18 with total page 95 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Millions of people in the United States live with serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and dementiaâ€"often for many years. Those facing serious illness have a range of interconnected medical and non-medical needs, and the way their care is financed has a large impact on the care they receive. Medicare is the predominant payer, but both Medicaid and private payers also play significant roles in financing care for serious illness. In an effort to address the complex needs of people with serious illness, public and private health care payers are testing innovative financing strategies and alternative payment models. These innovative approaches signal a gradual transition from the traditional-fee-for-service system that pays providers based on the quantity of services to a system based on the value of care provided and a heightened focus on improved quality of care at lower cost. To explore this evolving financing and payment landscape for serious illness care within public- and private-sector programs, the Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness developed a workshop, Financing and Payment Strategies to Support High-Quality Care for People with Serious Illness. The workshop convened clinicians, researchers, policy analysts, and patient advocates, as well as representatives from academia, government and private health care plans, and insurers to discuss challenges and opportunities in financing high-quality care for people with serious illness. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
Download or read book Textbook of Palliative Care written by Roderick Duncan MacLeod and published by Springer. This book was released on 2025-05-29 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This second edition provides the most up-to-date information on all aspects of palliative care including recent developments (including COVID-19), global policies, service provision, symptom management, professional aspects, organization of services, palliative care for specific populations, palliative care emergencies, ethical issues in palliative care, research in palliative care, public health approaches and financial aspects of care. This new Textbook of Palliative Care remains a unique, comprehensive, clinically relevant and state-of-the art book, aimed at advancing palliative care as a science, a clinical practice and as an art. Palliative care has been part of healthcare for over fifty years but we still needs to be explained. Healthcare education and training has been slow to recognize the vital importance of ensuring that all practitioners have a good understanding of what is involved in the care of people with serious or advanced illnesses and theirfamilies. However, the science of palliative care is advancing and this new edition will contribute to a better understanding of this specialty. This new edition offers 20 new chapters out of over 120, written by experts in their given fields provide up-to-date information on a wide range of topics of relevance to those providing care towards the end of life no matter what the disease may be. We present a global perspective on contemporary and classic issues in palliative care with authors from a wide range of disciplines involved in this essential aspect of care. The Textbook includes sections addressing aspects such as symptom management and care provision, organization of care in different settings, care in specific disease groups, palliative care emergencies, ethics, public health approaches and research in palliative care. This new Textbook will be of value to practitioners in all disciplines and professions where the care of people approaching death is important, specialists as well as non-specialists, in any setting where people with serious advanced illnesses are residing. It is also an important resource for researchers, policy-and decision-makers at national or regional levels. Neither the science nor the art of palliative care will stand still so the Editors and contributors from all over the world aim to keep this Textbook updated so that the reader can find new evidence and approaches to care.
Download or read book Dying in America written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2015-03-19 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For patients and their loved ones, no care decisions are more profound than those made near the end of life. Unfortunately, the experience of dying in the United States is often characterized by fragmented care, inadequate treatment of distressing symptoms, frequent transitions among care settings, and enormous care responsibilities for families. According to this report, the current health care system of rendering more intensive services than are necessary and desired by patients, and the lack of coordination among programs increases risks to patients and creates avoidable burdens on them and their families. Dying in America is a study of the current state of health care for persons of all ages who are nearing the end of life. Death is not a strictly medical event. Ideally, health care for those nearing the end of life harmonizes with social, psychological, and spiritual support. All people with advanced illnesses who may be approaching the end of life are entitled to access to high-quality, compassionate, evidence-based care, consistent with their wishes. Dying in America evaluates strategies to integrate care into a person- and family-centered, team-based framework, and makes recommendations to create a system that coordinates care and supports and respects the choices of patients and their families. The findings and recommendations of this report will address the needs of patients and their families and assist policy makers, clinicians and their educational and credentialing bodies, leaders of health care delivery and financing organizations, researchers, public and private funders, religious and community leaders, advocates of better care, journalists, and the public to provide the best care possible for people nearing the end of life.
Download or read book Palliative Care written by Geoff Mitchell and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2018-05-08 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Series Editors: Moira Stewart, Judith Belle Brown and Thomas R Freeman As the population in western cultures ages, more people suffer chronic, ultimately life-limiting diseases and medical professionals need to be equipped to cope with the ever growing pressure of palliative care. This book gives guidance on how to approach patients with life limiting illness. While the problems most people present to the doctor appear relatively straightforward, a whole person approach to understanding the complex interaction between the person, their illness and their environment should lead to a more complete consideration of the illness and better health outcomes. For issues of palliative care, such an approach is essential to identify and meet the many needs of desperately ill people. Palliative Care offers a fresh look at the management of patients. With international, evidence-based contributions, the book suggests practical and challenging ways to care for the dying. It is ideal for all healthcare professionals working in palliative care, General Practitioners and medicine and healthcare students.
Download or read book Palliative Care E Book written by Linda L. Emanuel and published by Elsevier Health Sciences. This book was released on 2011-04-04 with total page 801 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Find out all you need to know about providing high-quality care to patients with serious illnesses from the 2nd edition of Palliative Care: Core Skills and Clinical Competencies. Drs. Linda L. Emanuel and S. Lawrence Librach, leaders in the field, address the clinical, physical, psychological, cultural, and spiritual dimensions that are integral to the care of the whole patient. They give you a broad understanding of the core clinical skills and competencies needed to effectively approach patient assessment, care of special populations, symptom control, ethical issues, and more. Clearly written in a user-friendly, high-yield format, this resource is your ultimate guidebook to the burgeoning practice of palliative medicine. Improve your pain management and symptom management skills with a better understanding of best practices in palliative care. Quickly review specific treatment protocols for both malignant and non-malignant illnesses, including HIV/AIDS, heart failure, renal failure, pulmonary disease, and neurodegenerative disease. Better understand and manage the common and unique challenges associated with delivering palliative care in various social settings, such as the ICU, hospice, and the home; and to diverse populations, such as children, elders, and vulnerable members of society. Expand your knowledge of palliative care issues with new chapters on Veterans, Special Populations, Prognostication, Delirium, Working with Families, Wound Care, Home Care, and Dealing with Economic Hardship. Find the information you need quickly and easily with a templated, high-yield format.
Download or read book Living Well with a Serious Illness written by Robin Bennett Kanarek and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2023-04-04 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A practical guide for understanding how palliative care can improve quality of life for patients and their caregivers. Robin Bennett Kanarek was a registered nurse working with patients suffering from chronic medical conditions when her ten-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia. As her son endured grueling treatments, Robin realized how often medical professionals overlook critical psychological, emotional, and spiritual support for people with life-threatening illnesses. Living Well with a Serious Illness is the culmination of decades of Robin's work to advance the field of palliative care. Although palliative care is often associated with hospice and end-of-life planning, Kanarek argues for a more expanded definition that incorporates palliative care earlier in patients' journeys. Living Well with a Serious Illness helps patients and their caregivers understand • what palliative care entails • how to access the support they need when going through a serious illness • what questions to ask medical professionals • how to navigate advanced care planning • definitions of common terminology used with end-of-life planning • the importance of spiritual care, coping strategies, and emotional support • how to become an advocate for palliative care This book illuminates the importance of seeing patients as individuals who can benefit from care for their body, mind, and spirit—the core tenet of palliative care.
