Hospice In Thailand

[jaideeguy]

The following is a copy and paste of an article that may be of interest to someone and the complete read is at a link that i post at the end of this brief exerpt.

I would like to know if anyone on this forum has any 1st hand knowledge or experience with Hospice in LOS??

I'm up in Chiang mai and may need this service soon or at least be prepared for it.

Hospice Care: A Cross-cultural Comparison Between the United States and Thailand

Yaowarat Matchim MS, RN

Myra Aud PhD, RN

Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing

September/October 2009

Volume 11 Number 5

Pages 262 - 268

The origins of hospice care in Thailand began in the 1980s. The national workshop on cancer pain was held in 1982, and the Thai Association for the Study of Pain was founded 1990.26 Previously, there were no hospices; dying people were cared for in hospitals, private residences, and temples. The care for dying people outside the hospital was provided naturally by family caregivers, relatives, and Buddhist monks or nuns. In 1992, Phrabat Nampu temple in Lob Puri province opened a hospice for people with AIDS as a nonprofit organization.27 Buddhist monks and volunteers provided care for these patients. At present, the organization of this hospice includes an inpatient unit with 400 beds with healthcare staff, male and female accommodation for single persons, chalet-style accommodation for family groups, facilities for children with HIV and AIDS, and shelter for the elderly left without support after their family has died of AIDS.26 After the first hospice was founded at Phrabat Nampu temple, some private hospices were also developed. For example, Soon Bantaojai Centre was established by Camillian Missionaries in Nondaburi province in 1993.28 This development of hospice care occurred in both government facilities and community groups, driven particularly by the urgent need to care for people living with HIV and AIDS.

In 1998, Mahavajiralongkorn Cancer Centre, the first hospice operated by the Thai government, was opened in central Thailand.26 The organization of this hospice was influenced by Australian and US hospice models. The multidisciplinary team at this hospice includes a physician (on rotation for 1 month), nurses, a social worker, and a Buddhist monk. Patients are referred to the hospice by their physicians when their conditions are appropriate for hospice care. Although the Thai hospice model was influenced by the US hospice model, it was also distinct from the US hospice model in which the US hospice provides bereavement services lasting from 6 months to 1 year for family members after the death of the loved ones. The Thai hospice model does not cover bereavement services. According to the tradition of extended families in the Thai culture and strong relationships among relatives, the relatives will support family members who lost their loved ones.26

Currently, hospice and palliative care has been implemented in at least 13 organizations and provide 40 hospice-palliative care services, mostly to inpatients. Eight of these organizations are government facilities (tertiary hospitals and cancer centers), one is a private hospital and two are faith-based institutions.26 Most services provide for inpatients. The model of service of each organization is likely distinct from that of each other.

At the Mahavajiralongkorn hospice, patients are allowed to stay in the hospice for 2 weeks. During this time, their family members learn to look after the patients. After patients are discharged to their private homes, caring is provided by family members. Nurses visit to support and help as necessary. Pain medication such as morphine can be prescribed for patients based on a nurse's assessment and communication to a physician. Opioids are provided only in tablet (morphine) and patch (fentanyl) forms.

for more info, go to this link

http://www.nursingcenter.com/library/Journ...ticle_ID=939561 hospice info