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Activities
Palliative Care
ELhospice’s main aim is to provide
palliative care
to terminally ill patients from
Belgrade, and especially those whose
illnesses can no longer be kept under
control through standard cancer
therapies. BELhospice has two specially
trained medical teams (consisting of a
doctor and nurse) who make regular
visits to patients regardless of where
they stay (hospitals, home, old people’s
homes) as requested or advised by their
resident doctors. During visits, medical
teams talk to patients and their
families, do necessary check-ups and
give advice on further therapies as well
as on all aspects which may contribute
to a better quality of life for the
patient. The hospice teams focus
particularly on pain management as an
adequate control of chronic pain and
other symptoms in cancer. The last
stages of a terminal illness may cause
psychological and social problems as
well as spiritual issues affecting both
the patients, their family members and
those in their immediate environment.
For this reason BELhospice’s expert
knowledge and experience can bring
relief. BELhospice’s approach is
comprehensive and humane and is driven
by the concern to provide further
holistic palliative care for terminally
ill patients.
Education
Education is one of BELhospice’s highly
prioritised activities. A number of
Palliative care courses have been
organised in BELhospice’s Educational
Centre ‘Prue
Dufour’ since it opened in
2006. These courses are designed for
professionals in medical and social
services as well as for volunteers, so
that they can then apply it on daily
basis at their place of work. In this
way, more patients can have access to
these services, including those outside
Belgrade. BELhospice has also been
actively promoting Palliative Care
concepts by participating in various
public debates, conferences,
contributing articles for newspapers as
well as having information on hospice
care broadcast on TV. All these efforts
are aimed at raising general public
awareness of the importance of providing
more humane care of terminally ill
patients as, unfortunately, such
patients are often being socially
marginalised.
Humanitarian Work
In accordance to hospice/palliative care
principles, BELhospice’s services to
terminally ill patients and their
families are rendered free of charge.
All BELhospice’s activities are financed
exclusively by
donations
as well as through local and/or
international projects. Apart from
vigorously pursuing funds by
participating in bids for local and
international projects, BELhospice has
also been organising
charity events in
order to raise funds for its current
work as well as for financing the
building of a future
hospice facility.
However, such events are always
opportunities to encourage the general
public to learn more about the problems
which befall terminally ill patients and
their families.
One such event was the
Charity Ball
organised at Belgrade’s Hyatt Hotel on
12 May 2007 in cooperation with
BELhospice’s British partner
Hospices of
Hope. More information about the Ball
are available in the second issue of our
Newsletter
as well as on our
website.
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