Introduction

Palliative care improves the quality of life of people suffering of life-threatening, debilitating or geriatric illnesses by providing relief from pain and other physical symptoms and support and care for psychosocial needs. To ensure the most effective care for patients, palliative care begins at the point of diagnosis, continues throughout treatment, and bereavement support is offered to the family after the patient’s death. If cure is possible, palliative care provides essential care to provide alleviation of chronic pain, control symptoms, and minimize suffering. It adopts a personalized, holistic approach, where the individual as a whole gets more attention than isolated symptoms. 

Details of the Workshops

In response to this essential public health need, SANJEEVAN (an initiative of Sri Aurobindo Society) for the sensitization of the community and providing training in Palliative Care to many sections of the society including policymakers, community leaders, civil society organizations, general public. As a part of this programme, workshops for Anganwadi Teachers from different parts of Puducherry in the months of April and May 2017. The details of the workshops are as follows:

Areas covered          Dates of Workshops        No. of Participants

Muthialpet              April 19 & 20, 2017               125
Saram                      April 24 & 25, 2017               138
Thirubuvanai              April 28, 2017                         48
Ariyankuppam      May 11, 2017                       132

This course introduces the teachers to concepts and need of palliative care. In addition, this training included 

This training included 

• sensitizing the teachers about the need of palliative care and the importance of community participation;
• providing them knowledge about various ways in which they can contribute, such as participating in home visits, giving basic first aid or medicines, making the society around them aware through poster campaigns, street theatre, door-to-door distribution of pamphlets, etc.
• making them aware of the positive results in psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care with familial support and love;
• encouraging them to offer a support system to help patients and their families;
• enhancing quality of life and also positively influence the course of illness with activities such as meditation, painting, music, etc.
• offering a support system to help patients and their families to live as actively as possible until  death;
• offering a robust support system to help the family cope during the patients illness and in their own bereavement; 
• using a team approach to address the needs of patients and their families, including bereavement counselling, if required. 

The workshops have created a new network of volunteers and conscious workers in palliative care in Puducherry.