The Open Society Public Health Program has published three fact sheets, available in English and Spanish, examining palliative care as a human right and particularly how it connects to children and older persons.
Palliative care is fundamental to health and human dignity and is a basic human right. It is highly effective in managing pain and physical symptoms and can improve adherence to medications.
Palliative care can and should be delivered with curative treatment that begins at the time of diagnosis.
But it goes much further than physical care. It is a holistic approach that improves the quality of life for patients and their families by addressing the psychosocial, legal, and spiritual problems associated with life-threatening illness.
The fact sheet on Palliative Care as a Human Right looks at palliative care more broadly and discusses the recognition of palliative care under international human rights laws, offering recommendations for governments to promote, protect, and ensure access to palliative care.
The fact sheet on Children’s Palliative Care and Human Rights examines the global need for children’s palliative care, the recognition of children’s palliative care under international human rights laws, and what steps governments should take to promote, protect, and ensure access to children’s palliative care.
The fact sheet on Palliative Care and Human Rights for Older Persons examines the growing need for older persons’ palliative care, the distinct and specific palliative care and end-of-life needs of older persons, the recognition of older person’s palliative care under international human rights laws, and what steps governments should take to promote, protect, and ensure access to care for older persons.
Find out more about the Open Society Foundations on their website.
