European Journal of Palliative Care - 1999


Comment: Final choices – the necessity for information
Marilyn Marks
pp 144-144
It is certainly true that the world is becoming increasingly smaller. In today’s society it is highly likely that palliative care patients will be drawn from a cosmopolitan, multiethnic background and that in the major cities of the world many different cultural identities will be encountered. Kathryn Myers’ article entitled ‘Flying Home: helping patients to arrange international air travel’ (page 158) is a practical and useful guide. It enables that final journey to be much simpler for the seriously ill patient if their professional helpers understand the pitfalls and regulations of air travel.
The management of anaemia
Lucy Boyland and Catherine Gleeson
pp 145-148
Anaemia is normally defined as a haemoglobin concentration of less than 13.5 g/dl in adult males and less than 11.5 g/dl in adult females. Symptoms develop when the concentration of mature red cells in peripheral blood is inadequate to satisfy tissue oxygen demands.
The assessment of depression in palliative care patients
Mari Lloyd-Williams
pp 150-153
It is well recognised that the presence of psychiatric morbidity in physically ill patients is often not diagnosed. Psychiatric disorders occur more frequently in cancer patients than in the general population, but the rates of depression differ widely according to the methods and criteria used for assessment. If we specifically look at the prevalence of depression in palliative care patients, several studies have found different prevalence rates. Hughes and Lee found that 26% of patients admitted to a hospice had what they described as severe depression.
The role of the occupational therapist in palliative care
Katherine Armitage and Lesley Crowther
pp 154-157
The occupational therapist (OT) uses a symptom-led rather than disease- or diagnosis-led approach to treatment. This approach deals with dysfunction as it presents, as well as anticipating problems and being prepared for them.
Judaism and palliative care
Julia Neuberger
pp 166-168
People are variously affected by the religions and cultures in which they grew up, whether or not they have actually practised their particular religion or followed that way of life. Jews who have not been near a synagogue for 50 years often want a Jewish burial with a kaddish (the mourner’s prayer) said for them, just as much as a professing and active Jew.
Palliative care for the terminally ill in the Netherlands: the unique role of nursing homes
Frans Baar
pp 169-172
There are many reasons why there is a growing interest in developing better palliative care for the terminally ill in the Netherlands. It is predicted that, over the next decade, the death rate will rise, the birth rate will fall, and an increasing number of people will choose to live alone. More people are beginning to realise that curative treatment has been overvalued, and there is an increasing interest in palliative care. This will lead to a greater demand for the support of professionals and volunteers in palliative care.