Palliative Care Helpline and the power of the community
An elderly woman has been discharged from medical college hospital; but her son is unable to take her home, which is in another district.
A 72-year old man, living alone, is quite able to look after himself. But he is afraid to get to the street to access the pharmacy across the road. He has been sleepless, worrying about the dwindling supply of his medicines for diabetes.
A young man is in tears. The palliative care unit from which his mother was getting morphine is shut down. The medicines will be over soon. Without morphine, her pain becomes unimaginable.
These are not patients registered with Pallium India. How can we reach them? How can we help them? That was the thought process behind the press release and posts on our social media pages requesting volunteers, a few days ago.
We received about 120 calls. 87 of them have now undergone preliminary training and many of them have been out in the field, performing near miracles, transforming lives. They have been drawing blood samples and getting them tested by labs, thus preventing calamities; or delivering life saving medicines and, in some cases, even food.
Pallium India, in association with Project Management Institute Kerala (PMIK) and Red Cross Society, has now opened a helpline so that anyone who needs these services can call us.
If you need our assistance, please call our helpline number: 964 588 4889 / 860 688 4889. Our volunteers will reach you (as much as we can, as soon as we can) and deliver medicines or collect blood samples, as required.
In case of queries, do write to us at info@palliumindia.org
Similar activities are happening in numerous palliative care centres, all over Kerala. More power to you all.
To all those who came forward offering help, and to those who have been supporting us all these years, thank you! from all of us in Pallium India.
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