Pranab Kumar Basu has edited a unique collection of essays on Palliative Care. Driven by his own experience as a caregiver to his wife who had cancer, Pranab Basu has been working in the field of palliative care over the last few years.
Even though the ‘C’ word is a condition that the world has been forced to wake up to, Palliative Care is something most people are unaware of or at best have a blurred knowledge and impression of. They are not sure for one what it means in the first place, and even if some are aware of the term, they are not confident of its efficacy and how it can actually help a person with the condition. Dr Pranab Kumar Basu, who himself works in the field of Palliative Care, sets out to dispel some prevalent misconceptions and beliefs with this book and attempts to offer a preliminary knowledge of palliative care – What is it? How does it work? What is the domain of Palliative Care and how does it comfort the dying person? And most important of all, does it actually alleviate the pain?
The book is a collection of some 14 essays by contributors who in their own ways have shed light on what Palliative Care is. An important point made by Dr M.R. Rajagopal, Chairman, Pallium India, goes a long way in explaining Palliative Care – that a Palliative caregiver, armed with a bit of training and empowerment, can become a “miracle worker, transforming human lives.” Pranab Basu’s own article, ‘Palliative Care and Counselling go Hand in Hand’ explains well to the uninitiated the various components of Palliative Care with diagrams and a logical break up of topics and discussions. He emphasizes on the importance of counselling in Palliative Care and how communication with the patient is an integral part of the whole process. In yet another article, he talks about caregiving which is largely based on his personal experience of looking after his wife.
The other articles are varied and informative. Dr Tara Rajendran, physician and musician, talks about musical interventions in Palliative Oncology. Shashwati Sengupta, co-founder of Ink Link Charitable Trust, Chennai, talks about Art Therapy in Palliative Care. Dr Subhadip Banerjee discusses medical ethics of the physician in the field of Palliative Care. Dr Rabindranath Chanda, Consultant Geriatrician, focuses on comprehensive geriatric assessment for older patients with cancer. Dr Abhijit Dam talks about the importance of ‘touch’ in Palliative Care, Willka Roig, Transpersonal Psychologist, talks about understanding the neurological process of loss and Joan Marston, an executive committee member of Pall Chase, discusses her viewpoints. Other than these, there are some valuable accounts by cancer survivors like Vandana Mahajan and Divya Sharma.
This is a book that is worth a read, not only because it is informative, but because it has also the right intentions.
Read other contributions of Pranab Basu here:
Palliative treatment Ensures Good Quality of Life
Role of Counselling in Palliative Care
