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Touch of compassion
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On the occasion of World Palliative Care Day today, Sajini V. Sahadevan writes about Palliative Care volunteers and their work
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Reaching out Volunteers and doctors interact with patients to boost their morale
If Manirajan were alive now, his heart would have swelled with pride. After the death of his parents he wanted nothing more than a job for his sister, Maya. Today, she works with Muthoot Skychef Flight Kitchen thanks to the timely intervention of vo
lunteers from the palliative care unit at RCC, Thiruvananthapuram, where her brother was being treated for cancer. By the time he died, 32-year-old Manirajan had come a long way from being the isolated, distressed lad who had come to RCC for treatment. He had more than 300 people he could call family. No wish remains unfulfilled at a palliative care unit where every patient and his dreams matter.
On October 6, the world observes World Palliative Care Day. Palliative care is the active total care of patients and their families by a multi-professional team when the disease is no longer curable and life expectancy is predicted to be short. The trained team consists of social workers, volunteers, counsellors, cancer survivors, a doctor and a nurse.
‘Help for the Hills’
Dr. Cherian Koshy, Head of the Department of Palliative Care at RCC in the city, elaborates on ‘Help for the Hills,’ a tele-conferencing facility between RCC and The Pain and Palliative Care Society in Adimali, to be inaugurated today, “It will save patients the trouble of travelling the hilly terrain. They can be seen, listened to and given advice. HELP stands for Hear, Ease, Link, Palliative. This is the first of its kind linking a major palliative care division in India and its satellite centre.” A decorated vehicle carrying a message on palliative care will also be flagged off on the same day in a bid to increase awareness among the public in the city with meetings planned at major intersections.
Shantha Jose, secretary, Ashraya, observes how nothing goes to waste at the unit, “Everything, from a strip of cloth to a loving touch, is valuable. The people we interact with come from unfortunate walks of life. They might have been isolated by their relatives or anxious about the future of their dependents. Thankfully, we are never short of generous sponsors. From individuals to corporates, everybody is willing to pitch in and do their bit.”
Ashraya is now in its eleventh year and has nearly 300 members. Usha Rajan has been volunteering with Ashraya for six years. She takes a day off from work every week to interact with patients and bystanders. Care Plus takes care to the doorsteps of immobile or poor cancer patients who live within Thiruvananthapuram district and conducts peripheral clinics on designated days at Attingal, Nedumangad, Neyattinkara and Kattakada. Cherian Philip, Secretary, Care Plus, says: “Visiting patients at their homes makes you aware of the extent of their distress. We are able to help accordingly. Food kits are given regularly. There maybe those in need of sponsors for educating their kids.”
Currently, the organisation sponsors the education of 125 children. A hundred glasses of carrot juice is supplied daily to patients in the paediatric ward.
Says Regi Mathan, a volunteer with Ashraya: “For most patients, it is enough that you listen. Sharing their troubles brings them a lot of relief. Be it financial or emotional support, it is made understood that they are not alone in their time of turmoil.”
The members prepare porridge which is provided to all the patients on a regular basis. Birthdays of the patients or their loved ones are also celebrated by surprise. “Initially, you are looked at with apprehension because they find it hard to believe you expect nothing in return. I know that in my 10 years of volunteering here, I’ve received more (by means of personal satisfaction) than what I have given,” she avers.
What is palliative care?
Dame Cicily Sunders is regarded as the founder of The Modern Hospice and Palliative Care Movement. Under palliative care, treatment takes the form of compassion to help patients cope with disfigurement, dependence and death. Patients with terminal cardiac, renal or neurological illnesses can also benefit from such care.
The Department of Palliative Care at the RCC is one of the first few clinics in the country to provide support and pain management to patients with the backing of NGOs such as Care Plus, Ashraya and Prathyasha.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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