Palliative Care Books of the Month and other Book Reviews
Palliative Care Books of the Month
PALLIATIVE CARE FORMULARY. 3e
Robert Twycross and Andrew Wilcock (Eds)
613 pp
ISBN 978-0-9552547-1-0
RRP £40.00
and
HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE FORMULARY USA. 2e
Robert Twycross and Andrew Wilcock (Eds)
600 pp
ISBN 978-0-9552547-2-7
RRP $US75.00
Available only at www.palliativedrugs.com
I found it difficult to fault these books. This is the third edition of the British volume, the second for its USA companion. As with previous editions, the comprehensive table of contents, index, and the lists at the start of each chapter ensure quick access to the desired information. The drug monographs are well set-out and adequately referenced. Towards the end of the book, there are a number of chapters covering some general topics (e.g. continuous subcutaneous infusions, spinal analgesia, nebulised drugs, etc).
There is an extraordinary amount of information in these books. They provide just about all you need to know about prescribing medications in palliative care. If you work in hospice and palliative care, I would venture that you should have a copy of this book or at least that it should be available in any hospice or palliative care unit for ready reference.
Roger Woodruff (Australia), an IAHPC Board Member
(January 2010)
Book reviews
A PLACE OF HEALING
Working with Nature and Soul at the End of Life
Michael Kearney
Spring Journal Books, 2009
292 pp
ISBN 978-1-882670-58-1
RRP $US23.95 £16.99
Previously published, with a slightly different subtitle, by Oxford University Press in 2000, this book addresses the limitations of the medical model in palliative care and sets about exploring how we might be able to do more for the ‘suffering of the soul’. With much reference to Asklepian healing and Jungian psychology, Michael Kearney describes what the patient might be able to do for themselves and, equally important, what is required of the therapist that he refers to as the ‘wounded healer’. There are three chapters, including suggestions for workshops, about how we might be educated and trained to provide this extra dimension of care. There are a number of illustrative clinical anecdotes in the text and the book concludes with two longer case histories, although I noted that one of these patients was treated in hospice over a period of nearly six months, which is something the system in which I work would not allow. I was left wondering what proportion of patients in an average hospice and palliative care unit would benefit from the types of treatment described, but overall, I found this book both interesting and challenging.
**
CARING FOR SOMEONE WITH A LIFE LIMITING ILLNESS
A Practical Guide
PresCare, 2009
94 pp
ISBN 978-0-646-51507-6
(Available at www.prescare.org.au)
Produced by the Presbyterian Church of Queensland, this booklet aims to provide help and support for anyone who is caring for, or preparing to care for, a loved one with a life-limiting illness, with an emphasis on dementia. It contains practical information, including about hands-on care, handy tips and useful checklists. It also contains sections on dealing with behavioural disturbances, looking after financial and legal considerations, and there is a chapter on caring for the care-giver. I thought this book provided useful information, would not overwhelm the reader and I feel there should be more books like this available. If there is no such book available in the community where you work, you could do worse than obtain a copy of this booklet to use as a starting point to provide practical support for caregivers in your region.
**
NOW THAT YOU’VE GONE HOME
Courage and Comfort for Times of Grief
Stories by Joyce Hutchison, Prayers by Joyce Rupp
Ave Maria Press, 2009
178 pp
ISBN 978-1-59471-215-9
RRP $US 12.95
A companion volume to May I Walk You Home?, here are more stories, together with prayers and meditations, to help the bereaved. Pocket-sized, it can be read when time allows and will certainly provide comfort and support to some who are grieving for a loved one.
**
Roger Woodruff (Australia), an IAHPC Board Member
(January 2010)
Dr. Woodruff is an IAHPC Board Member. For more information go to: http://www.hospicecare.com/Bio/r_woodruff.htm
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Dr Roger Woodruff
IAHPC Bookshop Editor
210 Burgundy St, Suite 9
Heidelberg, Victoria 3084
AUSTRALIA
Note: Review copies become property of IAHPC and are not returned to the author. Only palliative care related books which are previously approved will be reviewed. Due to the large number of requests, we can't provide exact dates of when books will be reviewed.
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