Palliative care support / Anita Duffy & Noreen Holland

Includes bibliographical references and index.

A new and informative book introducing the principles of palliative care and detailing how these principles can be applied to practice. This book is based on the Health Service Executive’s (Ireland) Palliative Care Competence Framework by Ryan et al, 2014. This book clearly describes:
-the need for holistic palliative care services across the lifespan and for common chronic illness -definition of pain, its symptoms, assessment, management and pharmacological and nonpharmacological pain relief
-common symptoms experienced by patients receiving end-of-life care and how appropriate management of these can improve quality of life -spirituality within the context of palliative care and how to actively contribute to the welfare, values and beliefs of the patient
-how effective communication between the HCA, MDT, the patient and their family is essential to the delivery of quality and compassionate palliative care
-models and theories of bereavement, the many responses to bereavement and the supports required to cope with the process
For the healthcare assistant, this book also identifies
-the roles of the health care assistant (HCA) within the multidisciplinary team (MDT) providing palliative care
-how the HCA can promote activities of daily living as part of an agreed person-centred care some ethical issues that may be encountered in your role of HCA