Artifical hydration in pallitiaive care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Artifical hydration in pallitiaive care - Essay Example 2). The palliative care in the UK is grounded on three developmental stages that are significant in comprehending the modern palliative care setting. The initial phase of evolution is concerned with the creation of a haven for dying individuals and giving of terminal care. The second level of advancement is the growth of contemporary hospice lobby. The last stage concentrates on the change from hospice to palliative care (Have & Janssens 2001, p. 85-86). As argued by Have & Janssens (2001), in the UK, palliative care is mostly provided to patients suffering from cancer although other patients that have terminal illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Parkinson’s disease, and advanced heart disease among other conditions that cannot be cured also qualify for the care (p.94). The national umbrella organisation, that facilitates palliative care in the UK, are NCPC (National Council for Palliative Care) and SPPC (Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care). This paper will discuss the artificial hydration in palliative care, its advantages and disadvantages and significance for the patient and end of life care. The discussion revolves around a community setting in the UK. The community palliative care teams provide palliative care in the rural areas. Most of the patients attended to in the community are those that decided to die at home. The services given receive funding from individua l charitable bodies and others by the National Health Service (NHS) (Have & Janssens 2001, p. 94). The artificial hydration in palliative care refers to the administration of fluids into the patient’s body through parenteral routes, nasogastric tube, gastrostomy and nasojejunostomy as a key necessity for nourishment. The truth is that artificial feeding cannot match the natural way of eating through the mouth