In palliative care the patient and their family are the focus of care. Each and especially severe and incurable disease affects not only the patient, but also the family members and people from the patient’s environment who are close to them. That’s why an educational workshop for our patients family members was held within the premises of BELhospice Center on February 28, 2017.
The general goal of the workshop, which was attended by 9 participants, was to support different family members while they are caring for patients, that is, to offer education and support to them for their role of caregivers, if needed. The specific objectives of the workshop were to familiarize family members with the goals and philosophy of palliative care, to offer support in their process of adapting to performing new roles within family, education related to the prevention and care of specific symptoms in palliative care, emotional support and support during the anticipatory mourning period.
The workshop had a format of educational and group work. It consisted of two parts: 1. Educational part – presentations of nurses related to patient care and 2. Questions and experiences of participants.
Nurses Ivana Račić and Bojana Vučković held lectures on skin care, prevention of decubitus wounds, care of the oral cavity and techniques for changing and going to the toilet of patients who are immobile. After the presentations, the participants asked questions about the care of their sick family members.
During the workshop at the premises of the BELhospice Center, a doctor and a social worker were present in order to provide additional answers and clarifications to the participants.
Evaluation reports have shown multiple benefits of the workshop. Lecturers were rated with the highest marks.
The educational workshop was realized thanks to the support of the Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade.
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