Abstract
In this chapter, my aim is to reflect on the peculiarities or “specialities” associated with end-of-life care. To begin with, it is important to note that end-of-life care is “special” because the patient is “special.” The particular characteristics of terminal patients or patients in an advanced stage of a disease mean they will have very specific needs. At the same time, many professionals “specialize” in end-of-life care, and they do so in accordance with a series of principles related to palliative care that should be better known to those outside of professional palliative care. Discussion of these particularities of professional palliative care is the aim of the first section of this chapter (“The Peculiarities of Terminal Care”). In the second section of this chapter (“The Professional Carer”), I describe why many of those working in professional palliative care have come to the conclusion that the “specialities” it requires are not suited to every kind of person. Palliative care requires a distinct approach to the patient and her care, and this approach requires the palliative care professional to focus on “taking care” of himself or herself, as this kind of care can be very taxing on our personal and emotional states. For this reason, I also spend some time discussing the sources of “burnout” in such professionals. In the third section of this chapter (“The Art of Healing in Terminal Care”), I suggest that while palliative care cannot offer the patient a “cure,” it can be a source of healing.
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© 2014 Ana Marta González and Craig Iffland
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Centeno, C. (2014). A Professional Perspective on End-of-Life Care. In: González, A.M., Iffland, C. (eds) Care Professions and Globalization. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137376480_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137376480_12
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