Focus more on emotional care of terminally ill: study

Terminally ill patients receiving palliative treatment have called for a greater focus on their emotional care and better planning for their future.

These are among the findings of a study of the experiences of palliative care among patients, their families and carers undertaken by the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care.

The Let’s Talk About survey findings, which will be launched today to mark the start of Palliative Care Week, showed that people want to discuss and plan for their future — 64% of respondents said that ‘planning for the future’ was the biggest practical worry in their experience.