Palliative Care

“Palliative care is an expression of the truly human attitude of taking care of one another, especially of those who suffer. It is a testimony that the human person is always precious, even if marked by illness and old age. Indeed, the person, under any circumstances, is an asset to him/herself and to others and is loved by God. This is why, when their life becomes very fragile and the end of their earthly existence approaches, we feel the responsibility to assist and accompany them in the best way.”  ~ Pope Francis

From the World Health Organization: Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual. Palliative care:

• provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms;
• affirms life and regards dying as a normal process;
• intends neither to hasten or postpone death;
• integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care;
• offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death;
• offers a support system to help the family cope during the patients illness and in their own bereavement;
• uses a team approach to address the needs of patients and their families, including bereavement counselling, if indicated;
• will enhance quality of life, and may also positively influence the course of illness;
• is applicable early in the course of illness, in conjunction with other therapies that are intended to prolong life, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and includes those investigations needed to better understand and manage distressing clinical complications.

Links and Resources:

• Catholic Health Association: Palliative Care Resources  
• Options to the Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide 
• Key Messages for Health Care Ministry Leaders 
• Examining Diverse Perspectives of Catholics on Advance Care Planning, Palliative Care, and End-of-Life Care in the United States. 
• Palliative care growing, but many still lack access 
• Compassionate Palliative Care  
• Message from a dying patient  
• Palliative Care: It’s About Easing Suffering  
• Palliative Care: What and Why  
• Reflections — The Church and Palliative Care  
• Compassionate Palliative Care  
• Palliative Care: A Hallmark of Catholic Mission  
• Supportive Care Coalition, a network of Catholic healthcare organizations that promotes education about and implementation of Palliative Care  
• Catholic Health Association  
• US Conference of Catholic Bishops index of articles on Palliative Care  
• Pope Francis speaks on Palliative Care March 2015  
• Pope Benedict speaks on Palliative Care  
• Pope John Paul II speaks on Palliative Care  
• Massachusetts Catholic Conference  
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops      

M.C. Sullivan from the Archdiocese of Boston