Archive for the 'Palliative/End of Life' Category
Monday, December 5th, 2011
Breathlessness (aka dyspnea) is difficult to manage in palliative care.
Researchers in the UK reviewed and ranked the most effective nonpharmacological strategies. (more…)
Breathing, Elderly, Exercise, Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on Nonpharmacological strategies for breathlessness
Thursday, October 27th, 2011
Researchers at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, compared acupuncture to nurse-led supportive care in patients with incurable cancer. (more…)
Acupuncture/ pressure, Anxiety (Panic)/Depression, Nausea/Vomiting, Pain, Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on Is there benefit from acupuncture in palliative care?
Thursday, September 15th, 2011
Patients with advanced cancer frequently use CAM.
Researchers at the University of Toronto, in Canada, examined the use of CAM and implications for patient care. (more…)
Cancer, Palliative/End of Life, Religion/ Spirituality | Comments Off on Spirituality as a guide to care in advanced cancer
Sunday, September 4th, 2011
The conventional view of family caregivers highlights their burdens.
Researchers from Singapore found that caregivers may also find “meaning and enrichment in their caregiving journey.” (more…)
Alzheimer's Dementia, Caregiving, Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on Growth through caregiving
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011
Patients with metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer have substantial symptoms and may receive aggressive care at the end of life.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, report improvement with earlier initiation of palliative care. (more…)
Cancer, Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on Starting palliative care earlier in lung cancer patients
Saturday, March 5th, 2011
Researchers at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, in the UK compared the relationship between religious faith and controversial decisions during care of dying patients. (more…)
Palliative/End of Life, Religion/ Spirituality | Comments Off on Effect of religious faith on decisions by doctor providing end-of-life care
Monday, February 14th, 2011
This Cochrane review examined the effects of music therapy on end-of-life care. (more…)
Anxiety (Panic)/Depression, Art, Music, Dance, Cochrane Library, Pain, Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on Review of music therapy for end-of-life care
Friday, October 29th, 2010
Many people believe it “increases the patients’ emotional distress.”
To the contrary, researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston report, “such conversations can actually lead to improved quality of life — both for patients and their loved ones.” (more…)
Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on Discussing end-of-life issues with patients
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
Medical News Today reports on this study in the journal, Psychological Science.
Apparently, “older people who spent at least 14 hours a week taking care of a disabled spouse lived longer than others” who spent less time or no time, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. (more…)
Caregiving, Elderly, Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on Beneficial health effects of care giving
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
GeriPal is rethinking advanced care planning (ACP).
Rather than focusing on making prespecified decisions, ACP should help patients and their families make the best possible in-the-moment decisions. (more…)
Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on Advanced care planning: Accounting for changing perspectives
Friday, June 11th, 2010
Gabriela Kaplan is an oncology clinical nurse specialist at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She specializes in end-of-life care.
Here’s just a small part of her Medscape interview. (more…)
Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on What’s the difference between palliative and hospice care?
Monday, October 26th, 2009
Researchers from the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, in West Haven tell us, “Outpatient palliative care can provide significant benefits to seriously ill patients, but several barriers to appropriate referrals remain.â€
Will grandma’s doctor consider outpatient palliative care for her? (more…)
Elderly, Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on Predicting doctors who refer to palliative care
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
Of the many symptoms experienced by those at the end of life, pain is one of the most common, feared, and often undertreated,
Dr. Perry Fine from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City reviews the treatment options, including CAM. Here’s a summary. (more…)
Acupuncture/ pressure, Anxiety (Panic)/Depression, Art, Music, Dance, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, COPD, Massage, Palliative/End of Life, Physiotherapy, TENS/FNS/VNS | Comments Off on CAM options to treat pain at the end of life
Saturday, January 17th, 2009
 Massage is a popular adjunct to cancer palliation.
And, Prof. Ernst says “the evidence is encouraging. (more…)
Anxiety (Panic)/Depression, Cancer, Fatigue, Massage, Nausea/Vomiting, Pain, Palliative/End of Life, Prof. Ernst, Stress Management | Comments Off on Massage therapy for cancer palliative care
Thursday, November 6th, 2008
Another result from Tuesday’s US election — 63% of voters in Michigan approved of letting people who are ill grow their own pot. (more…)
Cancer, Glaucoma, Marijuana (Cannabinoids), Multiple Sclerosis, Pain, Palliative/End of Life, Parkinson's | Comments Off on Michigan voters say OK to medical marijuana
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
 The authors review current palliative medicine, hospice, and end-of-life research. (more…)
Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on Have you discovered Pallimed.org?
Sunday, October 19th, 2008
 Researchers from the Calvary Health Care Bethlehem in Melbourne, Australia studied the effectiveness of a single music therapy session in reducing anxiety among terminally ill patients. (more…)
Art, Music, Dance, Elderly, Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on Music to manage anxiety during palliative care
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
 Small studies suggest that massage therapy may relieve pain and other symptoms.
Here are results from a large study. (more…)
Cancer, Massage, Pain, Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on Comparing benefits of massage vs touch in cancer patients
Sunday, July 20th, 2008
Two white physicians simply sat for a time and respectfully and attentively conversed about end-of-life care with 23 terminally ill Black patients at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta Georgia. Almost every patient willingly brought up spirituality.
In their article based on this experience they conclude that to understand and show respect for patients’ spiritual views in the context of the patient doctor relationship are keys to providing excellent palliative care.
Here are some quotes from their experience.
(more…)
Elderly, Palliative/End of Life, Religion/ Spirituality | Comments Off on Learning to apply spirituality to end-of-life care
Saturday, July 12th, 2008
If the state of Washington is any indication, CAM therapies play a significant role in hospice care.
Survey results presented during the North American Research Conference on Complementary & Integrative Medicine reveal that more than a dozen different CAM therapies are offered through hospice care in Washington, with massage, music therapy, and energy healing used most often.
(more…)
Art, Music, Dance, Massage, Palliative/End of Life | Comments Off on CAM in hospice care