Palliative Support at Laniado
A special seminar was recently held at Laniado Hospital to provide staff members with the tools to treat patients suffering from terminal illness. The seminar, initiated by the palliative care staff in conjunction with the Laniado’s training department was designed to give the medical, nursing and paramedical staff of all the departments the skills to improve care.
Supportive palliative care is given to terminally ill patients with diseases such as severe congestive heart failure, cancers, kidney disease and severe pulmonary disease, in order to relieve their pain and improve their quality of life of the patient.
The seminar included the presentation of case studies by the director of the Geriatric Division and the palliative care team, Dr. Vered Hermush, who shared with the audience some of the dilemmas that arise during end-of-life palliative care. All the speakers stressed that palliative care must include the close involvement of family members in order to create a calm and transparent therapeutic environment that ensures patients have as great an understanding as possible of their situation and maximum calm in preparation for separation from their loved ones.
Palliative care includes providing support that is as broad as possible for patients and for family members. The programme also included lectures on nursing and para-medicine. Ms. Ziva Chanukah, supervising nurse in the Oncology Department, explained how to balance the severe symptoms suffered by patients; Ms. Yehudit Farjun discussed compassion and strength in palliative care. Other participants in the seminar included Dr. Roni Tzabar, medical director of Tzabra Medicine, presented a model of hospice home care as well as a model of communication between patients and therapists.