title: Palliative care--transiting old tradition and values into the modern health care practice.
abstract: Care of the dying patient is care for the patient who is still living, it is helping that patient to live his or her life to the fullest whether at home or hospice, or in hospital. It is care that is not just centered on the individual but includes members of the family. It is focused on improving the quality of patients' life, by incorporating into the professional care most of unique human values, such as respect, empathy, compassion and tender loving care. Palliative care is a broad band of care of indeterminate length, and does not necessarily end with the death of the patient. Until life begins to glow again, some surviving relatives may need support during the bereavement period. Thanks to Dr Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and Dame Cicely Saunders, two great women visionaries and leaders of the emergence of Palliative Care, one of the best things that has happened to medicine in the 20th century, the development of care for dying patients and their families was possible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Oncology Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Clinic of Surgical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lublin.
authors.forename: Małgorzata E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Krasuska
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stanisławek
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazurkiewicz
authors.forename: Jadwiga
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Daniluk
mesh_terms: D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000639:trends; D011044:Poland; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000639:trends; D011788:Quality of Life; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000639:trends; D019452:Terminally Ill / Q000523:psychology*