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updated: 5 August 2009
EAPC projects or Taskforces
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Palliative Care for older People: Better Practice - Task Force
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Dowload Task force proposal form here
Populations in European and other developed countries are ageing, and more people are now living with the effects of serious chronic illnesses towards the end of life. Meeting their needs presents a public health challenge. The EAPC task force Palliative Care for older People: Better Practice commenced in September 2007 with the aim to develop a new booklet for the World Health Organisation Solid Facts series to improve palliative care for older people by providing examples of good and promising practice.
The booklet is currently under review by an expert panel, and will then be sent to a wider international group and the World Health Organization for review. Plans for the launch of the booklet and a dissemination strategy are underway. Posters describing the project were presented at the EAPC conference in Vienna in May 2009 and created a great deal of interest from participants from a wide range of countries.
Aims and Objectives
The aim of the EAPC task force Palliative Care for older People: Better Practice is to increase awareness about the urgent need to plan palliative care services that include the needs of older people. Populations in Europe and in other developed nations are ageing, and patterns of disease in the last years of life are changing, with more people dying of chronic debilitating conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia. Since many of these illnesses often occur together in older people, they frequently experience multiple medical problems and disabilities. In the last year of life, older people suffer from pain, anorexia, low mood, mental confusion, constipation, insomnia and problems with bladder and bowel control. These complex needs frequently remain unmet. Services should also be available for people with diseases other than cancer and offered on the basis of need rather than diagnosis or prognosis.
The new booklet builds on two previous booklets: Palliative Care: The Solid Facts (Davies & Higginson, 2004) and Better Palliative Care for Older People (Davies & Higginson, 2004).
| Palliative care – the solid facts describes the complex nature of palliative care, some key trends and principles, and discusses in brief their policy implications. |
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The second booklet, Better palliative care for older people, focuses on the special needs of older people and the major public health challenge that they represent. It provides evidence that the needs of this vulnerable group are far from met. Addressing this gap therefore should be of prime public health concern. |
The current project builds on these guides to provide specific examples of better palliative care practice. The new guide includes links to information in the other WHO booklets and provides brief case studies of good and promising practice along with contact details for further information. A group of international experts in palliative care are contributing to the booklet, which is funded by the Maruzza Lefebvre D’Ovidio Foundation.
Together the three booklets form part of an evidence-based series of publications whose goal is to aid those involved in planning and supporting care-orientated services for older people in the most appropriate and effective way, to guide decision makers and to bridge the gap between academic research and health policy.
Ultimately, the target is to improve palliative care for older people by providing examples of good and promising practice from Europe, or relevant to Europe.
Contact
If you would like to obtain more information about the project please contact:
Dr. Hristina Petkova King's College London Department of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, Weston Education Centre, Cutcombe Road, London SE5 9RJ, Tel: +44 (0)20 7848 5523, Fax: +44 (0)20 7848 5517, Hristina.Petkova@kcl.ac.uk
Members
The steering group:
Professor Irene Higginson (UK)
Dr Sue Hall (UK)
Dr Massimo Costantini (Italy)
Dr Agis Tsouros (WHO Europe)
Professor Vittorio Ventafridda (Italy) (deceased)
Ms Anna Kolliakou (UK)
Dr. Sreeparna Chattopadhyay (UK)
Dr. Hristina Petkova (UK)
Advisory Group:
Dr Elizabeth Davies (UK)
Dr Carl Johan Fürst (Sweden)
Professor Giovanni Gambassi (Italy)
Professor Stein Kaasa (Norway)
Dr Phil Larkin (Eire)
Dr Lukas Radbruch (Germany)
Dr John Ellershaw (UK)
Dr Marilene Filbet (France)
Dr Florian Strasser (Switzerland)
Professor Joan Teno (USA)
Scientific Group:
Ms Heidi Blumhuber (Italy)
Ms Mary Callaway (USA)
Professor David Clarke UK)
Dr Franco DeConno (Italy)
Dr Luc Deliens (Belgium)
Professor Ilora Finlay (UK)
Dr Kathleen Foley (US)
Dr Katherine Froggatt (UK)
Professor Claude Jasmin (France)
Professor Anica Jusic (Croatia)
Dr Judy Ling (Eire)
Dr Joanne Lynn (USA)
Professor Mike Richards (UK)
Also visit:
www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/medicine/depts/palliative/pubs/rrr/pcop.html
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