Relief from pain and symptoms, alongside treatment, for heart and lung disease as much as cancer. And the conversation about her wishes, before a crisis
The Pushpa team · 4 sourcesMany families hear “palliative care” and think of the last days of cancer. The WHO calls that a misconception. Palliative care relieves pain and other symptoms and supports the whole family, and it works best when it starts early in a serious illness, alongside treatment. India's national programme describes it as care from diagnosis to the end of life and bereavement
The WHO's list of adults who need it is led by heart disease (38.5%), cancer (34%) and chronic lung disease (10.3%), with dementia and Parkinson's among the rest. If your parent lives with a serious long-term illness and pain, breathlessness or anxiety are hard to control, ask her doctor whether palliative care could help now
The National Programme for Palliative Care aims to provide basic palliative care through outpatient and inpatient services at district hospitals. Ask at her nearest district hospital, or her specialist, what's available locally
The NHS calls this an advance statement: her preferences and values for future care, which people deciding about her care must take into account. Laws on advance directives differ between countries, so ask a doctor or lawyer in India what applies to her
How Pushpa helpsPushpa keeps her documents together in one place the whole family can see, including any note of her wishes, so no one is guessing in a hospital corridor
General information, not medical advice. In an emergency in India, call 112
Report sent to the family
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