ANTEA PALLIATIVE CARE

AND PALLIATIVE MEDICINE CENTRE

Asl RME - REGIONE LAZIO

INTRODUCTION

Antea Hospice was opened as a pilot project in 2000 in cooperation with the Regione Lazio (local government).  Antea Palliative Care Unit assisted more than 4.500 patients, playing a very important role for the Italian National Medical Service, guarantying continuous assistance for terminally ill patients: Antea has became a milestone for the implementation of new hospice care facilities projects, but also for training and education  in palliative medicine.

On the basis of the experience gained during these years, Antea designed a new Hospice project “The Palliative Care and Palliative Medicine Centre”, enthusiastically approved by the Regione Lazio.

The new centre is built on an area of 3.000 sqm within “Santa Maria della Pietà” green park, and it is conceived to care about terminally ill patients, to integrate the home care programme. Moreover, it will be a centre for education in palliative medicine and care.

Evolution works

The new centre will include:

1.       Assistance Network:

- Hospice assistance

The new Hospice will be similar to the existing one. There will be 25 rooms equipped with all comforts to reply to all patients’ and relatives’ needs: private bathrooms, a bed for a guest, air conditioning, modular walls that can be removed if the patients would like to stay together.

The Hospice will try to recreate home atmosphere where patient can benefit of common areas: a wide living room, the tearoom, a garden and a panoramic terrace. 

-Day hospice and day surgery ambulatories

The home assisted patients can benefit of ambulatories assigned to diagnostics, echografies, endoscopies, electrocardiograms, bacteriological and hematochemical examinations.

- The gym

§         Rehabilitation

§         Relaxation techniques

- Home care for 100 patients a day (combined with the hospice care)

• Doctors’ and nurses’ availability 24 hours a day
• Drugs
• Electrocardiograms
• Medical examinations
• Sanitary aids: (beds, perambulators etc..)
• Social assistance
• Psychological assistance
• Volunteers support

- Relatives’ assistance

• Social
• Legal and fiscal
• Psychological ( before and after the mourning)
• Bereavement

2.      Occupational Therapy

An important area is the occupational therapy where patients, relatives and Antea operators can practise some relaxing activities such as:

§         musicotherapy

• arts (découpage, carving, ceramics, painting, drawing)
• gardening
• acting

3. Antea FORMAD – Training and Research Centre in Palliative Medicine

- The Research

In Italy, the scientific world is more and more interested in Palliative Medicine and Palliative Care so it is a research plan is needed, aimed at identify appropriate pharmacological, psychological and spiritual treatments, that can give to patients and their families a better quality of life.

One of the main target is to draw the guidelines for a complete treatment of advanced patients.

- Palliative Medicine and Palliative Care Training and Education

Many Palliative Care Units are developing in Italy thanks to the recently approved laws which aim is that of fostering hospice and home care programs development  and pain management.

Medical operators must be specifically trained in the field of Palliative Medicine, and this is still not provided by the university undergraduate medicine courses.

Thanks to its experience,  Antea Formad, represents a point of reference in the field of Palliative Medicine training and education, at a national level; it organizes training courses, graduate masters courses in Palliative Medicine and Care, in cooperation with Italian Universities such as the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”.

Antea Formad is a specialized centre for training and education for doctors, nurses, administrative staff, volunteers, psychologists, social assistants and physiotherapists.

Since 2005 Antea Formad is certified UNI EN ISO 9001: 2000 for the activities of design, management and provision of training courses and events in the field of palliative medicine, pain therapy, hospice and home care.

5. The Children Centre

We have  planned a playroom provided with a garden, for patients’ and Antea operators’ children.

This an innovative project and has an important role:

- the playroom is supervised by qualified personnel: the aim is to make the children at ease and let them stay with other children;

- it makes the hospice more and more integrated in the everyday life

- it give to the Antea operators the opportunity of temporarily parting from the patients, so  that the “burn out" phenomenon can be reduced.

CONCLUSIONS

The ASL RME  will be responsible for the architectural restoration and adaptation of the building and it will be implemented through funds of the Health Ministry. 

The care network, the occupational therapy, Antea Formad and the Children Centre will be implemented by Antea Association; Antea will be responsible for managing and coordinating the whole centre.