Nutrition and Hydration (in palliative care)

Chapter 13: Nutrition and Hydration

Description:

This chapter addresses the nutritional and hydration needs of people receiving palliative care with an awareness that the major tenet of palliative care is the comfort of the individual. For the purposes of clarity, the broad nutritional needs of the terminally ill person will be addressed first. The chapter then discusses specific hydration needs—a subject that becomes more important than diet as the person nears death.

Topics:

• Introduction
• The food ritual
• Prevalence and cause
• Assessment
• Advice and management
• Medical treatment acts
• The dying process
  • Management dilemmas
  • Signs and symptoms of imminent death
  • The debate in the literature
  • Practical suggestions for nurses
• Conclusion

Author / Speaker:

Dr Margaret O‘Connor
Margaret lectures in cancer and palliative care at La Trobe University, Melbourne (Victoria, Australia), within a unit that is dedicated to academic and clinical studies of cancer and palliative care, in association with a tertiary referral hospital. Margaret’s doctoral thesis in nursing explored discourses about care of the dying in residential aged care. Her ethical interests have evolved from the work of her first degree in theology. Margaret is board member of Eastern Palliative Care, a large domiciliary service in Melbourne, and she chairs the Clinical Standards Committee and the Ethics Committee of that organisation.

Professional Reviews: