Palliative Care for Those Living in Poverty?

Palliative care (from Latin palliare, to cloak) is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of disease symptoms, rather than striving to halt, delay, or reverse progression of the disease itself or provide a cure. The goal is to prevent and relieve suffering and to improve quality of life for people facing serious, complex illness.

The above definition comes from Wikipedia.  The advent of the hospice movement in the United States and the creation of medical practices dedicated to palliative care are two of the most important events of the 20th century.  These advances have actually had a dramatic and positive impact on medical care in not only how we treat patients but perhaps even more importantly how we treat those impacted by the patients disease.

So what if we treat poverty as the disease that it is?  What if  we began to focus on relieving the suffering of the symptons of that disease?  What if just for a moment in time we took our eyes off of the cure and focused only on this issue of suffering?  To relieve the extraordinary suffering associated with poverty!  Imagine!

What would be the impact on those who suffer and on those who are impacted by their suffering.  Wow!  We could be really on to something here.  Don't doubt for a second that the impoversihed plight of the homeless ,as an example, does not impact all of us living in the same community.  The burden on the emergency rooms, the burdens on the criminal justice system, the burden on our downtowns.  If we begin to merely relieve their suffering would it relieve the suffering of the community as a whole?  Relieve, that is, not solve?

I have seen it work.  I have watched suffering human beings be lifted off of the streets then heal from the ravages of the streets and re-purpose their lives to be contributors to their community.  I have seen some suffering relieved!

-Alan

Comments

[Heather Strout]

This is such a great post. In our conversation this morning, we talked about homelessness as an epidemic. Something we so easily accept, but the fix is available. In addition, the idea that poverty is not the problem in my mind, it's lack of food, shelter, affordable healthcare that is the problem. I inherently know this but somehow had never thought of it this way before. What I know from talking with you is that there is a way to change the effects of poverty and homelessness. I appreciate your ability to translate a plight that is so often unheard.

Heather | @heatherjstrout

[Mobile Loaves & Fishes]

Thanks for the comment Heather! I think if we as a society can begin to think in terms of how we can relieve the suffering instead of focusing so much on the economics that we would begin to make great progress. As I say frequently there is nothing wrong with being poor but there is a lot wrong if one has to suffer as a result. Most poor people are not suffering; they live joyful purpose filled lives.