17 Mar 5 myths about palliative care

Hospice NZ has created a range of 5 ways resources as part of the #weneedtotalkaboutdying campaign.

Often it is hard to know the right words in situations that we don’t come face to face with everyday.  These resources are based on our hospices experiences of caring for people who are dying.

5 myths about palliative care

Myth: Pain is a part of dying.
Fact: Palliative care teams are specialists in managing a broad range of symptoms. If pain is experienced near end of life, there are many ways it can be alleviated.

Myth: Doctors administer morphine to speed up death.
Fact: Appropriate doses of morphine keep patients comfortable but do not hasten death. The founding tenet of palliative care is to neither hasten nor postpone death.

Myth: People in palliative care who stop eating die of starvation.
Fact: People with advanced illnesses don’t experience hunger or thirst as healthy people do. People who stop eating die of their illness, not starvation.

Myth: We need to protect children from being exposed to death and dying.
Fact: Allowing children to talk about death and dying can help them develop healthy attitudes that can benefit them as adults. Like adults, children also need
time to say goodbye to people who are important to them.

Myth: Palliative care is only provided in a hospital/hospice.
Fact: Palliative care can be provided wherever the person lives – home, long-term care facility, hospice or hospital.

Please feel free to read and share.  It might come in handy for you or someone you know