Our Services
Geriatric Care
Geriatric Care is the name for the specialized health and wellness services provided to the elderly.
India has the second largest population of ageing citizens in the world. The elderly experience a greater burden of ailments compared to other age groups, wth thmost frequent illnesses being cardiovascular illnesses, circulatory diseases and cancers resulting in healthcare for the elderly population becoming a big challenge for the comunity.
Palliative Care
Palliative Care is a specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness.
This type of care is focussed on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. The goal is to improve the quality of life for both the patient and the family.
Advocacy & Training
Advocacy is an important component of our work. Prevention and early detection of illness are the pillars of health care services. We regularly conduct awareness campaigns to help the community understand the various aspects of illness.
Education and training facilities for Doctors, Nurses, Para medics, Allied health workers,Social workers, Volunteers, Family & Paid care proiders etc. is another facet of our continuous effort to create a pool of medical and non medical people who can meet needs of the community for geriatric and palliative care services.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WE MAKE THEM HAPPY
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The aim of palliative care is to improve the quality of life of the person suffering from serious and prolonged illness. It prevents or treats symptoms of disease and also the side effects of the treatment.
What else does Palliative Care Include?
Apart from physical support, Palliative care also addresses the emotional, psycho social and spiritual problems that illnesses can bring up. When the person feels better in these areas, they have an improved quality of life.
Physical Support:
Addressing physical symptoms like pain, trouble sleeping, shortness of breath, loss of appetite. nausea, vomiting etc.
Treatments may include: Medicines, Dietary advice, Physical therapy.
Psychological / Emotional Support:
Patients and their families face stress during illness that can lead to fear, anxiety, hopelessness, or depression,
Treatments may include : Counseling, Medicines
Social support:
Some of the problems brought on by illness are social and financial, such as money- or job-related problems, insurance questions, and legal issues. A palliative care team may:
Some of the problems brought on by illness are social and financial, such as money or job-related problems, insurance questions, and legal issues. A palliative care team may:
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Explain complex medical issues or help families understand treatment choices.
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Provide or refer families to financial counseling
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Help connect you to resources for transportation or housing
Spiritual support:
When people are challenged by illness, they may look for meaning or question their faith. A palliative care team may help patients and families explore their beliefs and values so they can move toward acceptance and peace.
Palliative care can be provided by all medical professionals. Some of the patients may require the services of trained palliative care physicians with experience in the relevant field.
Specialist Palliative care is delivered by multidisciplinary team comprising of Doctors, Nurses, Psychologists, Physiotherapists, Social workers and others.
What are the illnesses where Palliative Care is helpful
Palliative care can be appropriate for any age, any diagnosis, any stage of the disease and any prognosis. But it is generally offered for people with prolonged illnesses, such as:
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Cancer
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Heart disease
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Lung diseases
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Kidney failure
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Dementia
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HIV/AIDS
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Degenerative neurological conditions eg. Parkinson’s disease.
Where can palliative services be provided
Palliative care can be offered at hospitals, out patient clinics, patient’s homes and hospice.
Can Palliative care be taken along with curative treatment
Yes. Palliative Care is not in conflict with curative care. The principles of symptom control and psychosocial support used in palliative care are beneficial to the patient even when the disease is curable.
Is palliative care only for the dying patients?
Care of the dying patient (End Of Life Care) is an important part of palliative care however palliative care is not terminal care alone.Palliative care is relevant at every stage of disease particularly when it is prolonged and incurable. Palliative care may be given as supportive care when the illness is diagnosed, throughout the curative treatment, and during follow-up. If the disease becomes unmanageable and curative treatment becomes inappropriate then it becomes hospice care and towards the end it becomes terminal care.. It also provides bereavement support for the family after the death of the patient.
Will you need a doctor’s recommendation to determine if someone is eligible for palliative care?
Yes, in most of the cases it is necessary that, the primary care physician who is treating the patient should refer him / her for supportive or palliative care.
What role does a layman have in this? It is a medical problem, is it not?
Palliative care is not only treatment of pain and other symptoms and of disease. It is total care, incorporating emotional, and social and spiritual support. Volunteers have a large role to play in it. Volunteers can help depending on the skills they have and time available. It may be assistance with administrative matters or fund raising, but it can also be active patient care. It can include helping with nursing chores or counseling
So what is required is that , the volunteer should have the will. Is it not?
The will, certainly; but it is also essential to have the right training if one is to help people who are suffering. It is necessary to develop listening and counseling skills. It is also necessary to learn to understand needs and do what exactly is required to improve quality of life. Remember, it would be easy to hurt even with the right word at the wrong time. Many palliative care programs now conduct training programs for volunteers.
Geriatric Medicine or Geriatrics is a medical speciality that focusses on helath care of elderly people.
When exactly does someone become elderly?
In India, generally people above the age of 60 years are considered as elders / senior citizens.
In many developed countries elders are divided in to three life stage sub-groups
Young Old 65-74 years
Middle Old 75-84 years
Old Old 85 years and above