A GOOD RAIN

 

A few weeks ago, we had a storm past through Ontario. It was a doozy called a “Derecho”. A derecho is a hopped up thunderstorm that can bring hurricane force winds, tornados, and heavy rain. It comes in like wrecking ball, so to speak.

When people hear the words “palliative care” they associate this to the type of care required for those dying. Like a last ditch effort, throw all the surgery or medications at the beast and hope for the best. They see the derecho approaching. 

 Over two decades ago, the World Health Organization actually changed the definition of palliative care to a much broader scope! The focus was on improving the quality of life for those facing chronic and life threatening illnesses through early identification and a proactive approach involving physical, psychosocial and spiritual concerns. It focuses on the whole patient, body, soul and spirit. The oncologist or specialist have their role, but so does professional, like social worker or an End of Life Doula! It involves our community supporting the family with practical needs like a good meal or giving them a break in caregiving. It involves exploring and supporting spiritual discussions. A good palliative care approach identifies the patients goals and includes some proactive discussions (advance care planning) about the what ifs and how they can be handled. It is a “Good Rain” - gentle, soft, preparatory and not a Derecho for the patient and caregivers to find themselves in, full of fear and crisis and surprises. 

The sooner palliative care is started, the better the outcomes for the patient and, in fact, stats show they live longer. 

I had a very dear friend who was diagnosed with a terminal cancer. I encouraged her to ensure she got good palliative care. She said “Oh, I don’t need that.” She felt that was for someone really at the end, the last ditch derecho time. She passed within 6 weeks of her diagnosis, with no time for her or her family to really prepare. 

I don’t expect we will yet get past the bias of the word “palliative” for some time yet. We are going on 20 years now with only a little progress on the benefits! 

Still, I hope if you find yourself facing a life-threatening or chronic illness like COPD or congestive heart failure, you will explore the palliative care approach. You will find yourself in a Good Rain.