On October 12th, 2013 the World marked the Hospice and Palliative Care Day. The theme for this year is “dispelling the myths” related to palliative care. Incorrect information about hospice and palliative care creates obstacles to achieving universal access to palliative care.
For the fifth time this year, Georgia took part in this international initiative. A charity concert at Aleksandrov Garden and a photo exhibition at “Chardin Art Gallery” have been held with the support of the Open Society Georgia Foundation.
Events dedicated to the International Palliative Care Day 2013 were organized by young people. Georgian star 2013 Nina Sublati, and contestants of the Star Academy Elene Kalandadze and Sofo Toroshelidze together with the band “ElDRINE”, performed at the concert.
About palliative care
Palliative care aims at improving the quality of life of terminally ill patients. Palliative care involves several components, such as alleviating the pain of patients suffering from incurable diseases, as well as providing social and psychological assistance and spiritual support for them.
Services for such patients may be provided at “hospices,” or specialized palliative care centers. There are two hospices operating in Tbilisi, one at the Cancer Prevention Center and the other at the Transfiguration Monastery. Home-based palliative care services are also available.
Due to the limited number of beds in hospices and the lack of financial and human resources, the increasing needs of thousands of patients go unaddressed.
A survey conducted on October 10th with the support of the Open Society Georgia Foundation found that 839 children under 15 years of age require palliative care. And yet no hospice for children exists in Georgia.
Watch the video:
First Channel about the hospices and palliative care in Georgia: