Hospice & Palliative Care matters! The end-of-life deserves as much beauty, care and respect as the beginning.

Hospice and Palliative care services are for improving the quality of life of patients with a wide range of incurable, progressive, serious and life-limiting illnesses while in the advanced stage.

In India, around 1 million new Cancer cases are reported out of which 80% are beyond curative treatment. At present Palliative Care reaches only 1% of that requiring end-of-life care.

Families living with advanced diseases have unique problems, including geographic isolation, added caregiving and financial constraints especially if the breadwinner has to give up his/her job due to the disease or to take care of the patient. Patients suffer from all kinds of distressing symptoms like pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, breathlessness, constipation, bedsores, etc.

When the disease advances to the point of disability, the entire family structure feels the strain of increased responsibilities, financial constraints and emotional distress. This project will address:

• Lack of Palliative care professionals to deal with intense pain and distressing symptoms

• Seamless continuum of care from Outpatient services to Home Care

• Long distances travelled to avail of medical facilities

• Discomfort associated with the transportation of those suffering

• The need to work due to financial constraints versus the need to be present with their loved one

DEAN Foundation has a 21-year history of being the premier provider of Hospice and Palliative Care services in the community, free of charge, with special emphasis on the poor and the marginalized. About 75% of our patients are in the advanced stages of Cancer; other diseases include multi-organ failure, strokes, respiratory diseases, motor neuron disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, dementia, geriatric related disorders, etc.

Through our outpatient and home care services, doctor and nurse-led teams to offer treatment, emotional and spiritual support tailored to the patient's wishes to remain at home, as pain-free and comfortable as possible. DEAN Foundation has cared for and improved the quality of life of 13,986 patients (Adults, Children & the Elderly) as on 31 May 2019 through 62,342 Outpatient and 40,669 Home Care visits; 10,706 have been Cancer patients. This includes 2,881 children between the age 0 to 12 years of whom 1,581 have been Cancer patients. No mandatory fee is levied.

DEAN Foundations essentially works towards

1. Delivering Community-based and patient-centred care

2. Bridging the disparity in access to Palliative Care services for marginalised patients and their families

3. Creating awareness and deepening the understanding that one can receive curative treatment alongside palliative care

“The relief from suffering is a common goal of both medicine and human rights, and the relief of the pain and suffering of terminally ill patients is a human right.” (Margaret Somerville, 1992)

• Increased awareness of Palliative Care in the community thereby fulfilling a crucial void in the Health Care system

• Comprehensive & quality Palliative Care Services made available in the Outpatient Centre and in the security of patient’s homes

• Unhindered services to the needy and resultant respite and solace from intense pain and suffering associated with a terminal illness - Reduction of anxiety, confusion and helplessness due to patient listening & reassurance of support provided by the team in the Outpatient Centre and at their doorstep

• Patients and families enjoy overall wellbeing and quality of life with improved ability to deal with the terminal phase of the disease and cope thereafter

• Decreased burden on patients and families due to holistic support provided during this distressing period. Families also save money due to home visits and by not carrying out unnecessary tests and hospital admissions as our services are free of cost.

• Families helped with crucial decisions about traditional healers and stigma