Bookedited by Lieve Van den Block, Gwenda Albers, Sandra Martins Pereira, Bregje Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Roeline Pasman, and Luc Deliens.
Summary: One of the most challenging roles of the psycho-oncologist is to help guide terminally-ill patients through the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of the dying process. Patients with cancer, AIDS, and other life-threatening illnesses are at increased risk for the development of major psychiatric complications, and have an enormous burden of both physical and psychological symptoms. Concepts of adequate palliative care must be expanded beyond the current focus on pain and physical symptom control to include the psychiatric, psychosocial, existential, and spiritual aspects of care. The psycho-oncologist, as a consultant to or member of a palliative care team, has a unique role and opportunity to fulfill this promise of competent and compassionate palliative care for those with life-threatening illnesses. Psychosocial Palliative Care guides the psycho-oncologist through the most salient aspects of effective psychiatric care of patients with advanced illnesses. This handbook reviews basic concepts and definitions of palliative care and the experience of dying, the assessment and management of major psychiatric complications of life-threatening illness, including psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic approaches, and covers issues such as bereavement, spirituality, cultural sensitivity, communication and psychiatric contributions to common physical symptom control. A global perspective on death and palliative care is taken throughout the text, and an Appendix provides a comprehensive list of international palliative care resources and training programs. -- Provided by publisher.
Contents:
Palliative Care for Older People : An introduction
A public health perspective to palliative care for older people: An introduction
Organization of and policies for palliative care for older people
Long-term Care Systems
Development of palliative care in long-term care
Development of integrated person-centred care in long-term care
Policies on palliative care for older people in Africa
Policies on palliative care for older people in Asia
Policies on palliative care for older people in Australia
Policies on palliative care for older people in Europe
Policies on palliative care for older people in North America
Policies on palliative care for older people in Latin America and the Caribbean
Socio-cultural and clinical context of dying in old age
Dying in place in old age: public health challenges
Symptoms and trajectories experienced by older people approaching and at the end of life: Implications to care
End-of-life decisions for older patients who are approaching death
Ethical issues in palliative care for older people
Cultural issues in palliative care for older people
Spirituality and spiritual palliative care in older people
Use and access of palliative care for older people
Use of generalist and specialist palliative care for older people
Compassionate communities: Caring for older people towards the end of life
Palliative care for older people with dementia
Collaboration between professionals as a necessary condition for palliative care
Communication and advanced care planning (ACP) in older people
Innovations in palliative care for older people
EU civil society initiatives to protect the right to live and die in dignity
Care pathways for older people in need of palliative care
A program for advance care planning for older people: Respecting Patient Choices
Conclusion: What does a public health approach to improving palliative care in older people look like?
A public health approach to improving palliative care for older people