Themes and Tracks

The following themes and tracks form the focus of the conference.

Policy, standards and quality

  • Partnership in the delivery of palliative care
  • Policies, guidelines – for palliative care, retention & referral, home-based care, TB
  • Palliative care strategy – provincial, DCS,DSD, DoH
  • Standards (National Core Standards & Palliative Care Standards)
  • Health Systems strengthening
  • Linking prevention and care
  • Linking treatment and care
  • Palliative care in re-engineered Primary Health Care

 Education & training

  • Education & training
  • Capacity building activities
  • Mentorship
  • Basic/undergraduate training at colleges & universities
  • Post-graduate training
  • Specialist palliative care
  • Community training for home based care

Palliative care services

  • Hospice services supporting government departments in integration of palliative care
  • Consider “Hidden Patients”
    • people with disability
    • children
    • families as “hidden patients”
    • neglected illnesses (incl TB)
    • immigrants
  • Health system strengthening including retention and referral
  • Facility based palliative care – hospitals, clinics, care homes (for children/for the elderly)
  • Palliative care in the prisons
  • Home Based palliative care
  • Costing palliative care
  • Palliative care in particular settings – the ICU, the Emergency Unit

Holistic care

  • Assessment & management of symptoms
  • Treatment support (adherence)
  • Psychosocial care
  • Spiritual care
  • Legal issues in holistic care
  • Bereavement care
  • Care for the carers