Cesta domů deals with palliative care aiming at improving the End-of-Life Care in Czech Republic.

Palliative care is a modern and around the world rapidly developing specialty that offers effective care to the dying and their families in situations where current therapeutic approaches as well as the ability and strength of those close by are frequently failing.

Palliative care

• does not turn away from the incurably ill, but protects their dignity with primary emphasis on the quality of life.
• provides control of pain and of other negative aspects of terminal stages of an incurable disease.
• includes in itself medical, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of care for patients.
• respects consistently specific wishes and needs of individual patients and their life value priorities.
• emphasizes the importance of family and makes possible for patient to spend last part of his/her life in dignified environment, accompanied by family.
• offers all-round, effective support to relatives and friends of dying patient and, after the death of the loved one, helps them to overcome their grief.

The fact is that systematically developed, quality palliative care can fundamentally improve the care for the dying and their families testifies its rapid expansion around the world. The first modern hospice was established in England in 1967 and today there are over 7,000 palliative care centers in existence in over 90 countries. In Europe, the most sophisticated hospice-care network exists in Great Britain (over 1000 palliative care centers and teams). In the USA palliative care services (mostly home-care) were used by 770,000 clients in the year 2001 (compared to 25,000 in 1982).

Though the World Health Organization considers the development of quality palliative care one of its priorities and Parliamentary Assembly of European Council also codified patient’s right to complex palliative care, Czech republic significantly lacks behind the development in advanced countries. Quality palliative care in Czech Republic exists but, despite efforts of many health care providers an other pioneers in this field, it is accessible to a minimal number of citizens. Only 8 in-patient hospices currently exist in Czech Republic which in no way can provide for needs of palliative care. The home care hospice (which in developed countries represents basic form of palliative care) is being created with great difficulties only now, day-care stationary facilities don’t exist at all. Most sick people as well as health care providers have no experience with quality palliative care and among professionals and lay public predominates tendency to avoid the problematic of care for incurably ill and dying.

For more see our big research Project 2003 - 2004.

Website about Death and Dying, informational an discussion portal.