Community palliative and home-based care

Abstract This chapter discusses palliative, or home-based, care, an often-neglected area of community health. It explains the nature of palliative care, when it is needed, and who requires it. It describes palliative care from a global perspective and as a component of Universal Health Coverage. It discusses the barriers and gaps to delivering palliative care and suggests how palliative care is possible with limited resources. It explains models of palliative care and how others have set up community care initiatives. It covers the concept of how good communication is a crucial key in palliative care, and then outlines how to assess the need for palliative care and medication, identify patients, approach families, and care for physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual end-of-life needs. It ends with how to support the palliative care team.