Lakshmi Pain and Palliative care Trust

Lakshmi Pain and Palliative care Trust

This trust has started a Palliative care centre / hospice  in Kilpauk, Chennai that has grown out of erstwhile Nursing home called Sundaravadhnam Nursing Home  which was located in Poondhamalli high Road. They provide out-patient and In-patient care; They also offer to visit patient  in his house. Taking care of Lymphoedema ( swelling of lymph glands) is their specialty.

Taking care of people suffering from intense chronic pain, not necessarily terminally ill cancer patients only  but children and others as well, is routine here. They have special permission to buy morphine in bulk, store and dispense it to patients. Their consultations including medicines is free to poor people. They offer training programs in palliative care to nurses and doctors. Creating awareness – through lectures, Radio talks, articles in news papers etc) among the public about the palliative care  services and its availability is another area where they are concentrating.  According to one survey less than 1% of terminally ill patients get any palliative care. There are only four hospices in Chennai.

The website (www.lakshmitrust.org)  has an FAQ that dispels certain myths. One popular myth, even among doctors, is that Morphine Tablets are habit forming and patients become addicted. Far from true: Morphine, in injection form, used by normal persons can become addictive, informs their website.

If you are concerned with anyone suffering from chronic pain you may refer them here or donate for this cause if you are touched / inclined.

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PALLIATIVE CARE FOR CANCER PATIENTS - Pune - Cipla

Only 0.4% cancer patients avail of palliative care: Expert

Gist: The Pune based CIPLA center offers 15 days palliative care to cancer and other patients free of charge and trains the caregiver staying with the patient.

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TNN, Oct 13, 2010, 03.08am IST
Tags:Cipla Palliative Care And Training Centre
PUNE: While educating citizens about how palliative care can provide relief to cancer patients, medical director of Cipla Palliative Care and Training Centre (CPCTC) Priyadarshini Kulkarni said that only around .4 per cent people under treatment for the condition in India are availing this therapy due to lack of awareness.

At any point of time, around 2.5 million people in the country suffer from cancer. Of this, only 1.6 million people are under treatment and only .4 per cent find relief through palliative care. Almost two lakh new cases are diagnosed every year and 70 per cent of these cases are detected in advanced stages, said Kulkarni.

She was speaking during the walkathon organised to create awareness about the therapy to mark the World Palliative Care Day on Saturday. It was attended by around 350 people, comprising doctors, nurses, students, members of different clubs, patients and their families. "The objective of the World Palliative Care Day is to create awareness about how this therapy can help relieve the pain and suffering associated with chronic conditions like cancer. It benefits not just the patients but also their family," she added.

After the walk, volunteers of the Cipla Centre performed a skit to educate the audience about the need to provide palliative care and how its holistic approach can address the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of the patients. Patients' relatives also shared their experiences on how this therapy had improved the quality of their lives.

The World Health Organisation recognises this therapy as an integral and essential part of comprehensive care of life-threatening illnesses like cancer, HIV and other conditions.

Managing trustee of CPCTC S V Iyer said, "Our centre has been providing free care for the last 13 years, but the 50-bed facility was never full due to lack of awareness. The programmes initiated for the World Palliative Care Day helps us spread related awareness across the country."

As per this year's Sharing the Care' theme, CPCTC educated a group of villagers at Wadegaon in Solapur district with a skit and a presentation, thus promoting this therapy in rural areas. A musical recital by well-known singer and composer Salil Kulkarni was also organised.

Read more: Only 0.4% cancer patients avail of palliative care: Expert - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Only-04-cancer-patients-avail-of-palliative-care-Expert/articleshow/6738392.cms#ixzz12BsBvpLv

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Dialysis may affect mobility in frail elderly with end-stage renal disease

(I was under the impression that there is no alternative to Dialysis for ESRD)

Dialysis may affect mobility in frail elderly with end-stage renal disease

Thursday, October 15, 2009 21:24 IST

Washington: Researchers suggest that before offering the treatment,
kidney specialists need to weigh which elderly patient suffering from
end-stage renal disease (ESRD) would benefit the most from either
dialysis or conservative therapies.
click here

Dialysis provides artificial replacement of lost kidney function,
passing a patient's blood through a machine that filters out
impurities normally captured in the organ. The treatment can be
lengthy and physically challenging for patients.

Conservative treatment, which does not involve dialysis, focus on
medicines to decrease the symptoms of the kidney failure places less
physical stress on patients and can result in a better quality of
life, particularly for patients in ESRD.

The researchers have found that elderly patients with ESRD have
multiple functional impairments, physical symptoms and a high rate of
depression, facts that require an integrated, holistic approach to the
care.

There are also increased rates of frailty, cognitive dysfunction and
geriatric syndromes such as falls and hospitalization involving elders
undergoing dialysis.

"To care effectively for these persons, we must now learn much more -
we must define who among this population will benefit most from
dialysis and who will benefit most from conservative therapy," said
the researchers.

Lead researchers Mark L. Zeidel, and Robert M. Arnold said that small
studies that examine the outcome of patients who elect conservative
therapy over dialysis suggest that mortality and quality-of-life
outcomes do not differ very much among selected patients who undergo
dialysis and those who do not.

They believe it is critical that larger studies be designed to
determine the actual benefit of dialysis for frail elders.

The study conducted over home residents on dialysis. It found poor
overall outcomes, in the first year after initiation of dialysis with
58 percent of residents dying and 29 percent having a decrease in
functional status. Only 13 percent maintained functional status.

They found that elderly patients with ESRD have multiple functional
impairments, physical symptoms and a high rate of depression, facts
that require an integrated, holistic approach to the care.

There are also increased rates of frailty, cognitive dysfunction and
geriatric syndromes such as falls and hospitalization involving elders
undergoing dialysis.
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Source:
http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report_dialysis-may-affect-mobility-in-frail-elderly-with-end-stage-renal-disease_1299443

Palliative Care in India

Palliative Care in India

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