Palliative Care

Palliative Care (lat. palliare " cover with a mantle ."; Engl care " care, care, attention " ) is the generic term for all aspects of the supply incurable seriously ill and dying, such as palliative care and hospice care.

General

Palliative care has its origins in the hospice movement, which was founded in the 1960s in the United Kingdom by Cicely Saunders. The term was coined in 1975 by the Canadian physician Balfour Mount. For derived from the English name, there is no valid translation in German, so that the corresponding professionals have adopted the internationally accepted technical term in the sense defined by the World Health Organization ( WHO).

Palliative care is implemented as a concept for advice, support and supply of various professional groups in close fellowship and in terms of desire and will of the patient: In addition to a medical and nursing staff also psychologists, physiotherapists, counselors, social workers and volunteers involved. Also members are involved as related companion of seriously ill and experienced as well as the patient support and attention.

A basic attitude of palliative care is the acceptance of the finitude of life. Therefore, the artificial delaying of dying is rejected, as active euthanasia.

Definitions of the WHO

In 1990, the WHO published a definition for the care concept:

Palliative care is ...

2002, this definition was replaced by a new version. Then Palliative Care is

Palliative Care in Germany

As in Germany, the hospice movement and to also form parallel to the palliative care began, the initiators oriented first at English institutions who had already developed approaches to monitoring the final phase of life of severely ill patients.

In 1983, the first palliative care unit with support from the German Cancer Aid was set up at the University Hospital of Cologne. She was connected to a home care service. 1986 was opened in Aachen with the house horn the first stationary hospice. With the founding of the German Society for Palliative Medicine ( DGP) In 1994, the first medical society, which also allows members of non-medical professionals as members in the spirit of Palliative Care. In 2012 there were, according to the German Cancer Aid over 300 palliative care units and hospices in the Federal Republic.

With the model developed by the DGP based Curriculum Palliative Care published in 1996 a summary of the main points of Palliative Care This includes the creative and individual care, medicine and social work, who carries out the physical, mental, social and spiritual needs of seriously ill patients and its environment and when necessary by means of outpatient and inpatient facilities are adequately supported. On this basis, the training developed in the field of palliative care, which were tailored to the various professional groups.

2007 the legal basis for the financing of specialized outpatient palliative care ( SOPC ) in force. As part of the SAPV organize specially trained palliative care teams, the more comprehensive palliative care and nursing treatment, and psychosocial and spiritual support seriously ill and dying in the home. In some regions have also developed models of care of this kind before the introduction of SOPC, for example, established itself in Baden- Württemberg under the concept of bridge maintenance project for improved monitoring of cancer patients from the hospital to outpatient care.

Palliative care in Switzerland

In the 1970s created after lecture tours by Elisabeth Kubler- Ross in German Switzerland various volunteer groups, including the hospice Aargau, Zurich association to accompany seriously ill and voluntary groups at the Kantonsspital Baden. In 1975, the dying was a criminal case against senior physician Urs Haemmerli from Zurich Triemlispital to a topic in the media. From 1979, the Soins Continus began at the Centre in the canton of Geneva, the first systematic implementation of palliative medicine, care and support.

In 1988, the company specialized palliative ch was founded Swiss Society for Palliative Medicine, Care and Support. It counts with its ten regional companies around 2000 members, composed, among others, from nurses, doctors, counselors, voluntary death companions.

2009, the Federal Office of Public Health and the Health Director Conference have a ' National Strategy for Palliative Care " for the years 2010-2012 adopted to palliative care, given the increasing because of the changing age structure number of seriously ill, frail people in the last phase of life in the Swiss health and social care anchor. In January 2010, the implementation began in the five sub-projects, supply, financing, awareness, education and research as well as a cross- part project to define the guidelines. The palliative care in Switzerland is done using a matrix structure with an outpatient area, a long-term or hospice and acute stationary sector.

On October 25, 2012, the "National Strategy " extended by three years to 2015.