Provision of Home Care services and Outpatient Care for patients with life-limiting illnesses

Hospice and Palliative care services are for patients with a wide-range of serious life-limiting illnesses such as Cancer, heart disease, dementia, lung disease, neurological disorders and many other diagnoses.

In India, around 1 million new cancer cases are reported each year, out of which 80% are beyond curative treatment. At present, palliative care reaches only 1% of the end-of-life care.

Families of people living with advanced diseases have unique problems, including geographic isolation, added care giving and financial constraints,especially if the bread winner has to give up their job due to the disease to take care of the patient. Patients suffer from all kinds of distressing symptoms like pain, fatigue, inability to eat and drink, sleeplessness, 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:

- Shortage of palliative care professionals to deal with intense pain and distressing symptoms

- Seamless continuum of care from outpatient services to home care

- Assistance for long distances travelled to avail of medical facilities

- Discomfort associated with 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 20 year history of being the premiere providers of hospice and palliative Care services in the community, free of charge. We treat those with serious, incurable, chronic, progressive and advanced diseases and the elderly 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, crrebrovascular accidents, heart diseases, lung diseases, osteoarthritis, motor-neuron disease, rheumatoid arthritis, old age related disorders, etc.

Through our outpatient and home xare services, our doctor and nurse led medical teams offer medical care, 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 12,720 patients of whom 9689 were suffering from Cancer. This includes 2647 children between the age 0 to 12 years, out of which 1390 were cancer patients.

DEAN Foundation essentially works towards

1. Delivering community-based and patient-centered care

2. Bridging the disparity in access to palliative care services for marginalized patients and their families

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

“The relief of 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 about palliative care in the community, thereby fulfilling a crucial void in the Health Care system

- Comprehensive and 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 terminal illness - Reduction of anxiety, confusion and helplessness due to counselling and reassurance of support provided by the team in the outpatient Clcentre and at their doorstep

- Patients and families enjoy overall well-being 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 wholistic 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