With Support? Or Alone?
The feature today is Hospice, the care that makes the difference between dying alone or with support; Fran, Glo and John traveled here from San Francisco to share their knowledge and expertise in a Hospice Workshop which ran for 3 days this week, attended by 35 Aurovilians and a few guests… a few of us invited this trio, as the need for structure around the unavoidable subject of death and dying is a strong and present need in Auroville. Plus, a reminder about the eco-music festival “Lively up Your Earth” at Solitude beginning at 10 a.m. going on until….?
Hospice is a type of care, a philosophy of care that focuses on palliative (supportive) care of a terminally ill patient’s symptoms. Symptoms can be physical, emotional, spiritual or social. The concept of hospice has been evolving since the 11th century. The modern concept of hospice includes palliative care for the incurably ill given in hospitals, nursing homes and for those who would rather die at home.In 1965, Swiss psychiatrist Elisabeth Kbler-Ross began to consider the social responses to terminal illness. Her 1969 best-seller, On Death and Dying, was influential on how the medical profession responded to the terminally ill.
Hospice has faced resistance springing from various factors, including professional or cultural taboos against open communication about death among physicians or the wider population, discomfort with unfamiliar medical techniques, and professional callousness towards the terminally ill. Nevertheless, the movement has, with national differences in focus and application, spread throughout the world.
More than 8,000 hospice and palliative services established in more than 100 countries exist to date. Standards for Palliative and Hospice Care have been developed in a number of countries around the world….. India’s first hospice, Shanti Avedna Ashram opened in Bombay in 1986. It’s high time for Hospice in Auroville!
Hospice has faced resistance springing from various factors, including professional or cultural taboos against open communication about death among physicians or the wider population, discomfort with unfamiliar medical techniques, and professional callousness towards the terminally ill. Nevertheless, the movement has, with national differences in focus and application, spread throughout the world.
More than 8,000 hospice and palliative services established in more than 100 countries exist to date. Standards for Palliative and Hospice Care have been developed in a number of countries around the world….. India’s first hospice, Shanti Avedna Ashram opened in Bombay in 1986. It’s high time for Hospice in Auroville!