”la Caixa” Foundation conference in Valencia on care for people at the end of life

The Program for Comprehensive Care for People with Advanced Illnesses of the ”la Caixa” Foundation has promoted a conference this Wednesday at CaixaForum València for its entire psychosocial team, where more than 250 professionals linked to the Program have participated. Various experts have reflected on the systemic approach to comprehensive care for people at the end of life: from care in nursing homes to support in advanced pediatric illness and bereavement. They have also delved into the benefits of new technologies in the care of people with advanced diseases, as well as the effects of music and humor to manage emotions in times of difficulty.

This is an annual conference focused both on the Psychosocial Care Teams (EAPS) in Spain and, on this occasion, for the first time, on the EAPS in Portugal and the End of Life and Loneliness networks. The objective is to share experiences, ideas and learning and inspire through new ways of caring for people with advanced diseases from a comprehensive perspective.

The keynote address was given by José Navarro Góngora, professor at the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Salamanca

All this hand in hand with leaders in the sector such as Xavier Gómez-Batiste, scientific director of the Program for Comprehensive Care for People with Advanced Diseases of the ”la Caixa” Foundation; Sacramento Pinazo, professor of Social Psychology at the University of Valencia; or Cristina Botella, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Jaume I University, among others.

The keynote address was given by José Navarro Góngora, professor at the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Salamanca. Other notable tables have been those of «Care at the end of life in residences: what care, what interventions» and «Working so that care reaches all those who need it: the support of ICT».

Likewise, three dynamic experiences have been carried out: “Vibrating together: a space of care and connection through music and play”, with Mateu Ubach, psychologist, family therapist and music therapist. Enriqueta Villavecchi Foundation; “Mourning and spirituality in end-of-life care in pediatrics”, with Marta Palomares, nurse from the Pediatric Palliative Care Unit of Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and Mario Ciccorossi, spiritual care agent from the Pediatric Palliative Care Unit the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital; and “The professional’s family of origin: tiring anachronisms, caring riches”, with Beatriz Pérez-Manglano and Carmen Casas, systemic family therapists and teaching supervisors at the Valencia Family Therapy Center.

Since its launch in 2008, the ”la Caixa” Foundation’s Program for the Comprehensive Care of People with Advanced Illnesses has treated more than 600,000 people, including patients and family members

Since it was launched in 2008, the ”la Caixa” Foundation’s Comprehensive Care Program for People with Advanced Illnesses has cared for more than 600,000 people, including patients and their families, hand in hand with more than 300 professionals and more than 1,000 volunteers, and year after year, it is consolidated with a pioneering comprehensive care model that is constantly innovating.

In the Valencian Community, the Program has so far treated 9,179 patients and 13,281 family members, hand in hand with the psychosocial care teams of Aspanion, Carena, and the Red Cross, with the support of the Ministry of Health. This 2022, the Program will be extended to 14 new provinces and the autonomous city of Melilla, thus reaching all the provinces of Spain.

Framed in the Palliative Care Strategy of the National Health System, it celebrates 14 years of journey with the mission of complementing the current model of care for people who are at the end of their lives in order to cover different psychosocial aspects: both the emotional sphere , social and spiritual of the patient and his family such as grief care and support for palliative care professionals.

The Final Life and Loneliness Program has been strengthened, whose purpose is to alleviate the experience of suffering caused by the loneliness of people

In this sense, the qualitative evaluations carried out by the scientific director of the program, Xavier Gómez Batiste, conclude that the comprehensive care offered by the program improves the psychological, social and spiritual dimensions of the patient. 92% of the people served by the program rate the care received as excellent or very good.

In addition, the End of Life and Loneliness Program has been strengthened, the purpose of which is to alleviate the experience of suffering caused by loneliness of people who are in a situation of advanced illness through the accompaniment of volunteers. The program also works so that the entire community is involved in caring for the most vulnerable people, especially those who are at the end of life and experience loneliness.

As a result of the pandemic, in 2021 the program expanded its scope of action to residences, which also includes support in particularly complex cases, as well as training professionals with the aim of improving care.