Abstract
Due to demographic changes, the need for palliative care in the community and at home is expected to rise in the coming years. The care that is given by family members and general practitioners plays a vital role in basic palliative care. Knowledge in palliative care is very limited or totally absent in most communities, and information about the effects of educational procedures in teaching non-professionals in basic palliative care is sparse. In the Last Aid course, the public knowledge approach and the initial experiences from the implementation process are described. In addition, a review of the literature on educational efforts regarding palliative care for non-professionals and the existing literature on Last Aid courses is provided. An international working group has established a curriculum for Last Aid courses based on four teaching hours (45 minutes each). The feasibility of Last Aid courses for the public has been tested in pilot courses. The experiences with Last Aid courses in different countries are overall very positive. Last Aid courses are well-attended. The evaluation of questionnaires in a German pilot study has shown a favorable response. Last Aid courses may form the educational basis of compassionate communities, and are well-suited to inform the public about palliative care and end-of-life care.
Highlights
The demand for palliative care in communities and at home is expected to rise in coming years.The main reasons for this trend are the demographic change with an increasing number of old people, an increasing incidence of chronic diseases, and an increasing number of people in need of palliative care
Care by family members and general practitioners are important factors in strengthening basic palliative care in the community and in making home-death become a reality for more people [5]
We provide an overview on the Last Aid course concept and the compassionate community approach
Summary
The main reasons for this trend are the demographic change with an increasing number of old people, an increasing incidence of chronic diseases, and an increasing number of people in need of palliative care. This expanded need for palliative care is in part caused by a raising awareness that patients with diseases other than cancer have palliative care needs as well, and should have access to both general and specialized palliative care in the community. Care by family members and general practitioners are important factors in strengthening basic palliative care in the community and in making home-death become a reality for more people [5]. Public education in palliative care is very limited or totally absent in most communities [6]
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