Talking about palliative care

Palliative care is a model of accompaniment for people with advanced illnesses, with no possibility of cure, focused on respecting the values, beliefs and preferences of people and their families. It's based on the relief of physical, psychological, social or spiritual suffering and the pursuit of the best possible quality of life through proper care. Improvement opportunities are explored for its implementation at different levels. Palliative care is the responsibility of all health professionals and should be provided early in the process of advanced disease and not only at the end of life. The role of Primary Care in the detection of palliative needs, assessment of levels of complexity and coordination of available support resources is highlighted. Emphasis is placed on the planned training of health personnel as an essential tool for improving care. The nursing function stands out, mainly in terms of home care. Community activities aimed at normalizing the processes of illness and death in our society are valued.The requirement to promote organizational changes in the health system towards a model with greater prominence of home care is detected, to adapt the existing resources to the population needs.