Caring for the Dying at Home: Companions on the Journey
Keri Thomas
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Radcliffe Medical Press, 2003
320 pp
ISBN 1-85775-946-X
RRP £27.95, $US 67
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How can general practitioners/family physicians and other health care professionals who work in the community improve the palliative care they are able to deliver to the people they serve?
Step One is to read this book.
This book is about the Macmillan Gold Standards Framework that is primarily patient-and community- centered, which is being rolled
in the UK to improve the delivery of palliative care in the community.
This is an immensely practical book. The Framework is divided into 7 Cs: Communication, Co-ordination, Control of symptoms, Continuity,
Continued learning, Carer support, and Care of the dying. Each of these is discussed under a series of headings ‘Why?’, ‘What?’, ‘How/who/when?’, and ‘What if?’ The end result is a comprehensive
and very practical guide as to how to go about improving the delivery of palliative care in your community. There are also chapters on pain and symptom control. I would recommend this book strongly
to anybody developing, managing or upgrading community palliative care services.
Roger Woodruff
Director of Palliative Care, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia.
(March 2004)
Author Information
Dr. Keri Thomas is a General Practitioner and the National Lead for the Macmillan Gold Standards Framework Program, Shrewsbury, UK
Table of Contents
Part I: Palliative Care at Home: why is it important?
1. Introduction: Companions on the Journey 3
2. A modern way of dying 15
3. Living and dying at home 27
4. Needs-based care 43
Part II: Present Knowledge and Words of Wisdom: how can we begin?
5. Evidence-based care 63
6. Changes in a changing world 79
7. The key features of palliative care for patients with common cancers 99
8. Tripwires in palliative care 123
9. Bereavement 157
10. Sources of help and words of wisdom 163
Part III: The Gold Standards Framework
11. Background to the Gold Standards Framework 177
12. Communication: Gold Standard 1 195
13. Co-ordination: Gold Standard 2 203
14. Control of Symptoms: Gold Standard 3 217
15. Continuity of Care out of hours: Gold Standard 4 227
16. Continued learning: Gold Standard 5 233
17. Carer support: Gold Standard 6 239
18. Care of the dying (terminal phase): Gold Standard 7 253
19. Getting going: Toolkits and the next steps for the Macmillan GSF program 259
Index 291
