Full Description
Caring for patients with a terminal illness requires the skills of many professionals working together as a team. It is the psychosocial issues surrounding patients and their families and carers that cause individual members, and sometimes whole teams, the greatest difficulty. This practical book provides a comprehensive review of the current literature and evidence on the practice and provision of psychosocial support as applied to palliative care patients in order to achieve better practice in the field. The book looks at the nature of services required to provide effective psychosocial care; cultural issues and adaptation; the importance of communication, and socio-economic issues affecting patients with advanced metastatic disease. Information is also included on non-malignant psychosocial care. Patient drawings, poetry and quotations are used throughout.
Contents
1. What do we mean by psychosocial care in palliative care?; 2. Communication issues; 3. Social impact of advanced metastatic cancer; 4. Current provision of psychosocial care within palliative care; 5. Anxiety and adjustment disorders; 6. Diagnosis, assessment and treatment of depression in palliative care; 7. Screening for depression in palliative care; 8. Psychosocial care for non-malignant disease; 9. Spiritual care; 10. Bereavement care; 11. Staff stress, suffering and compassion in palliative care; 12. Psychosocial care - the future
