Palliative care is the active holistic care of individuals across all ages with serious health-related suffering due to severe illness, and especially of those near the end of life. It aims to improve the quality of life of patients, their families and their caregivers. (IAHPC, 2018)
Hospice care supports the patient through the dying process and the surviving family through the dying and bereavement processes.
The diagnosis of a serious illness that will limit your loved one’s life can impact all aspect of your life. Palliative care can relieve pain and other distressing symptoms such as shortness of breath, constipation, and nausea. It also provides emotional, social, and spiritual support, such as:
Yes, today there are close to 3000 persons in Belize every year in need of palliative care, but less that 1% currently have access to pain relief or palliative care