Palliative care is complementary and integrates therapies aimed at curing the problems in daily life, the main objective being to improve a person's quality of life. A palliative care patient can agree with the treatment team on the type, method and place of treatment, respecting his or her own priorities and preferences.
Patients suffering from a chronic disease are guaranteed access to palliative care in various forms, in any of the facilities of the EOC. This may be advice in the ward where they are located, as well as in the palliative care clinic. Otherwise, should hospitalization be appropriate, the patient can be admitted to the IOSI in Bellinzona, which has a ward dedicated to specialist palliative care, with 7 beds.
At any stage in the treatment of a chronic illness it is important for a person to define their priorities and set their personal objectives, this is especially so when the aim of the treatment is not to cure the illness. Those who benefit from palliative care receive careful treatment and symptom control, in accordance with their values and wishes, and in the most appropriate location.
