One of the pillars of palliative care (PC) is interdisciplinary work, which is referred to in the Guidelines for the Organization and Functioning of PC Teams, established by the National Ministry of Health. They indicate that “CPs deploy their actions with the aim of preserving and promoting the best possible quality of life, which are ideally implemented by an interdisciplinary team, which includes nursing, medicine, psychology, social work, occupational therapy, pharmacy, kinesiology and other health professions, including caregivers, volunteers, ministers of faith and other members, as needed.”
In this document, feeding is mentioned within the basic care corresponding to the nursing area, and the problem is not broken down in all its complexity. Despite this, the assessment of nutritional status requires specialized intervention by highly trained professionals in the area.
This lack of depth in relation to the nutritional approach in the area of PC is a reflection of the fact that, until a few years ago, nutrition graduates had not explored this field of intervention. However, nowadays, more and more nutritionists are involved in the care of patients in the last stages of life.
Few PC teams have nutrition graduates among their members. Moreover, it seems to be “a luxury”, taking into account the mismatch between the growing demand for palliative care and the shortage of trained teams throughout the country. So much so, that worldwide, only 14% of people who require PC receive them, and in our country this figure is estimated between 1% and 5%.
To finish and understand why eating is important in the last stage of life, it would be enough for each of us to reflect on how the act of eating is linked to our well-being, at an individual and social level. What would happen if what we do so naturally, such as eating what we like, when we want and with whom we want, were threatened or made impossible?
Faced with diseases that have such a negative impact on the ability to carry out good nutrition, the need for advice from professionals trained in the area is evident. The purpose is to go beyond “let him eat what he wants” and to be able to contribute to quality and empathetic health care, at all stages of the disease.
Contact information:
Dr. Tatiana Gusenko
WhatsApp 11-7364-5169
Instagram: @nutridata.onco
Mail: [email protected]
by CEDOC