Importance

Life expectancy has increased because of improvements in the management of illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and Pneumonia. Even those with serious chronic conditions can frequently live significantly longer than previous generations. Even though treatments may help people live longer, both the disease and their treatments can have unpleasant side effects.

Palliative care is crucial because it gives individuals a way to manage their symptoms and pain while continuing to seek curative treatments. This improves their quality of life. When a person is critically ill, they cherish every day. While the individual must still deal with their illness, palliative care's assistance in managing discomfort and other symptoms can turn each day more enjoyable and help them make the most of their remaining time with their relatives.

Challenges

Barriers to providing palliative care: -

• The lack of knowledge among policymakers, healthcare workers, and the general public about what palliative care is and the advantages it can provide patients and healthcare systems, is what makes palliative care not widely understood in the population.
• Palliative treatment is only partially supported by study and evidence.
• Limited resources and a lack of money.
• Strict regulations relating to expanding the accessibility of specific painkillers required for palliative care.
• Palliative care does not receive enough support or advocacy.
• While extending it to the community level, ensuring the quality and consistency of care at all levels is difficult.
• Insufficiently skilled human resources.

Tips for the care provider

• Paying close attention to the details and making them comfortable in order to provide holistic medical care to the patient
• Making a list of your most important objectives so that palliative care professionals don’t feel overwhelmed

• Care providers must establish professional boundaries with the client while connecting with the patient and showing empathy.

• Open communication with family is important that must be developed over time.