Palliative area
Palliative medicine is active and comprehensive supervision and care of seriously ill patients with an incurable progressive disease and a limited life expectancy which has a goal to improve their life quality.
The goal of the team of inter-disciplinary palliative station with 12 beds (headed by Dr. Thomas Jehser) is to give seriously ill people and people in their last life stage, in the case it is negatively affected by the illness, a chance to further lead a life with as few complaints as possible in the home setting or to get a further care in a hospice.
To achieve this goal there is a close cooperation with internists, home-care services, experienced, ambulant care services and qualified volunteers. In the close cooperation with care transition of the Havelhoehe Hospital a gap between the stationary and ambulant care in this neglected area should be overcome. There is a close collaboration with 7 Berlin hospices, especially with the Gemeinschafts hospice Christophorus, which was opened in summer 2004 on the territory of the Gemeinschafts hospital.
Indications for an admission to a palliative ward are alongside with pains resistant to therapy, breathing disorders, nutrition and digestion complication, cachexia, skin manifestations and other complaints in case of tumour diseases, AIDS, severe neurological and other malignant diseases as well as their psychosocial consequences.
In the past 10 years approximately 2000 patients have been treated in the palliative ward. Optimal alleviating of pain and an adequate nutritional therapy, which considers specialised opportunities of the modern palliative medicine (such as carrying out of invasive procedures e.g. implantation of ports, feeding tubes, stents, PDK, pumps and neurolytic blocades, irradiation, chemotherapy) are an important prerequisite in order to enable the patient and his friends and relatives to consciously deal with terminal illness, death, valediction and “transition” as a normal life experience.
The therapy methods of the anthroposophical study have a high value in the palliative situation. Not only support of the person with illness in his bio-psychosocial needs is important, but also understanding of his individual thinking, feeling and will and facilitating his way impacted by the illness. In the patients with tumour diseases, mistletoe therapy has received a special recognition. Additional therapies of the anthroposophically enhanced medical service (painting therapy, therapeutic sculpture, music therapy, eurythmy therapy, rhythmical massage) should contribute to activating own powers and to develop opportunities for creativity in dealing with illness.
An open-minded and sensible willingness of carers, doctors, psychologists, therapists and helpers to talk with the patient and with everyone else participating in the care of the terminally ill person is an important help for the dying person and his relatives in the phase of valediction and mourning. The good spatial conditions on the palliative station of the hospital Havenhoehe makes its possible for the relatives to participate in the process of dying, meaning to get a chance of “rooming in” and that the dying person can be assisted with respect. There is a pain ambulance in the Havenhoehe hospital, where diagnostics and therapy of patients with chronic pain conditions is done. The treatment can be carried out upon referral on an outpatient basis and in some individual cases on an inpatient basis. Alongside with administering medications under consideration of anthroposophical, homeopathic and phytotherapeutic medical services the therapy offer also comprises anaesthesiology procedures, acupuncture, transcutaneous nerve stimulation, implantation of analgesic pumps, psychotherapy and artistic therapy procedures.
