Published on: September 21, 2026

Introduction

Pallium India is a national organisation working towards alleviating serious health-related suffering and improving the quality of life of people living with serious and life-limiting illnesses. Its vision is to “Stop needless health-related suffering to enable people to wake up to life, love and hope.” Its mission is to integrate quality palliative care into healthcare by collaborating with and empowering care seekers, care providers and communities.

Pallium India follows a three-pronged approach of Demonstrate, Educate and Facilitate. Through demonstration, it provides palliative care through outpatient, inpatient and home-based services, addressing not only medical and symptom-related needs but also the psychological, social, spiritual and practical difficulties associated with serious illness.

Its services extend beyond direct clinical care and include home care, rehabilitation, psychosocial and caregiver support, telehealth services, and assistance with essential needs for vulnerable families. This includes support such as food kits and essential supplies for families experiencing financial hardship because of serious illness. Pallium India also supports children from families affected by serious illness in continuing their education through assistance with educational needs and initiatives aimed at their learning and wellbeing.

Through Education, Pallium India builds the capacity of healthcare professionals and others involved in palliative care through training and educational programmes. Through Facilitation, it works with healthcare institutions, governments, organisations and communities to develop and integrate palliative care services.

As part of my learning experience, I had the opportunity to attend the Pallium India Hands-on Module. The module provided me with a combination of theoretical learning and practical exposure through expert-led sessions, outpatient and inpatient care, and home care visits. It gave me an opportunity to move beyond the textbook understanding of palliative care and experience the human aspects of illness, suffering, family dynamics, communication, and end-of-life care.

Learning from the Theory Sessions

The module included theory sessions conducted by experts from different specialities. Learning from professionals with experience in various fields helped me understand the multidisciplinary nature of palliative care. The sessions broadened my perspective on the different dimensions of caring for patients with serious and life-limiting illnesses.

The sessions also helped me appreciate that palliative care is not restricted to symptom control. It involves understanding the psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual concerns of both patients and their families. The expert sessions provided a strong theoretical foundation, which became more meaningful when I was able to observe its application during the clinical and home care experiences.

Exposure to Outpatient and Inpatient Care

My exposure to both outpatient (OP) and inpatient (IP) care gave me an opportunity to see patients with diverse illnesses, age groups, backgrounds, and needs. Each patient presented a different set of challenges, and this helped me understand that palliative care cannot follow a uniform approach.

The inpatient setting particularly helped me recognise the importance of not focusing solely on the patient’s medical condition. Caregiver burden was evident here as well. While the patient may be the primary focus of medical care, the illness can have a profound impact on the entire family. Caregivers may experience physical exhaustion, emotional distress, anxiety, financial difficulties, and disruption of their own lives and responsibilities.

This made me realise that the patient and family should be viewed as a unit of care. Supporting the caregiver is not an additional aspect of palliative care; it is an essential part of providing good care to the patient.

Home Care Visits – Every Visit, A Different Experience

The home care visits were among the most meaningful parts of the module. Every home care visit was different and brought a unique experience. Irrespective of age or gender, I came in contact with patients suffering from different diseases and at different stages of their illness. Meeting them in their own homes allowed me to see their lives beyond the clinical setting—their relationships, surroundings, family dynamics, struggles, and the ways in which they coped with their illness.

One of the most important lessons I learnt during these visits was not to rely completely on reports, investigations, or even the symptoms as described from a purely clinical perspective, but to believe and listen to the patient. As healthcare professionals, we often look at laboratory values, imaging, diagnoses and clinical findings to understand what is happening. While these are important, they do not always capture the patient’s actual experience of suffering.

A patient’s experience of pain, discomfort, fear, distress or loss of wellbeing is deeply personal and cannot always be measured objectively. I learnt that the patient is the most important source of information about their own experience. If a patient says that they are suffering, their experience deserves to be acknowledged and taken seriously, even when the reports or clinical findings do not appear to completely explain it.

This was particularly meaningful in palliative care, where the goal is not simply to interpret a report or treat a diagnosis, but to understand how the illness is affecting the person. Two patients with the same diagnosis and similar investigation findings may experience very different levels of suffering and may have completely different needs and priorities.

The experience taught me to pause, listen and understand before making assumptions. Reports can tell us about the disease, but the patient tells us about the illness and the suffering. This is a lesson I hope to carry forward in my clinical practice: to treat the patient, not just the report.

I also observed that patients responded to their situations in very different ways. Some had accepted their illness and understood the limitations imposed by their condition. Others found it difficult to accept their situation and expressed a strong desire to return to the life they had before the illness. There were also patients who clearly understood the limitations of their illness but still wanted to continue living their lives to the fullest and wanted to live until their last breath.

This made me realise that acceptance does not mean giving up on life. Even when a person understands that their illness may have limitations or that cure may not be possible, the desire to live with dignity, purpose, and meaning can remain strong. For some, quality of life may mean spending time with family; for others, it may mean continuing their daily activities or fulfilling personal wishes. What matters is understanding what is meaningful to that particular individual.

The Dedication of the Palliative Care Team

Another aspect that impressed me greatly during the home care visits was the dedication and commitment of the palliative care team, including both male and female nurses. Their role extended far beyond carrying out clinical procedures. They demonstrated excellent knowledge, practical skills, confidence, and compassion while caring for patients in their own homes.

I was particularly touched by the way the patients eagerly looked forward to the visits of the palliative care team and waited for them. This reflected the strong bond and trust that had developed between the team, patients, and families. The team was not merely providing healthcare; they had become familiar, trusted and reassuring figures in the lives of these patients.

I was especially impressed by how well-equipped and knowledgeable the nurses were. They appeared well prepared to manage the varied situations encountered during home care. They assessed patients, provided appropriate interventions, and guided family members with patience and confidence. Their ability to combine clinical competence with empathy and compassion was particularly inspiring.

Watching the team work made me appreciate the unique challenges of providing palliative care in a patient’s home. Unlike a hospital setting, healthcare professionals have to work within the resources and circumstances available at the patient’s home while also understanding the family environment. The team’s adaptability, preparedness and professionalism were remarkable.

Their work reminded me that good palliative care is not only about knowledge and clinical skills, but also about presence, consistency, trust and human connection. The fact that patients eagerly awaited the team’s visits was, in itself, a powerful reflection of the relationship they had built with the patients and families.

The Human Warmth of Home Care

What touched me deeply was the warmth with which many families welcomed us into their homes. Despite the difficulties they were facing, several families received us with genuine affection and hospitality. They would offer us food, snacks, or refreshments and, more importantly, share their warmth and love with us.

These gestures may seem small, but they left a lasting impression on me. It was humbling to realise that even while going through difficult circumstances, patients and their families still found the generosity to welcome us and make us feel cared for.

These encounters reminded me that the relationship between a healthcare professional and a patient is not merely clinical. There is a human connection at its heart. The trust, affection, and gratitude expressed by the families made the home visits deeply personal and memorable for me.

The Often-Overlooked Burden of the Caregiver

One of the important lessons I gained from both the home care visits and inpatient care was the significance of caregiver burden. It is an area that can easily be overlooked when the focus is primarily on the patient’s illness.

During the visits, I could appreciate how caring for a seriously ill person can affect the caregiver physically, emotionally, socially, and financially. Caregivers may have to spend considerable time and energy looking after the patient while simultaneously managing household responsibilities and other commitments. Their own needs and concerns may sometimes remain unnoticed.

This experience made me understand that asking “How is the patient?” is only part of the assessment. We also need to ask, “How is the family coping?” and “How is the caregiver managing?” Recognising and addressing caregiver needs is an important component of holistic palliative care.

The Power of Communication

Another important learning from the module was the role of communication. I realised that communication itself can be therapeutic. The way we approach a patient, the words we choose, our tone, our body language, and most importantly, our willingness to listen can make a significant difference.

Sometimes patients and families may have fears, expectations, doubts, or concerns that they are unable to express unless someone gives them the time and space to do so. I learnt that communication in palliative care is not simply about giving information. It is about listening, understanding, acknowledging emotions, building trust, and helping patients and families navigate difficult situations.

The experiences during the module showed me that even when we cannot change the course of a disease, the way we communicate and support a person can change their experience of that illness.

Reflection

Overall, the Pallium India Hands-on Module was much more than an academic or clinical learning experience for me. It helped me see illness from the perspective of the patient and the family and understand that every individual has a unique story, set of values, expectations, and understanding of quality of life.

The combination of expert-led theory sessions, OP and IP exposure, and home care visits helped me connect theoretical knowledge with real-life experiences. I learnt about the importance of holistic care, dignity, patient-centred decision-making, caregiver support, compassionate communication, and addressing practical and social needs.

Most importantly, the module taught me to listen to and believe the patient. A report may describe a disease, but it cannot fully describe a person’s suffering. A symptom may be difficult to measure, but the patient’s experience of it is real. Palliative care requires us to look beyond numbers and diagnoses and understand the person behind them.

The module taught me that palliative care is about much more than managing disease. It is about being present, listening, understanding, relieving suffering, respecting individual choices, and helping people live as fully and meaningfully as possible for as long as possible.

The dedication of the palliative care team and the warmth and love I received from the patients and families during the home visits will remain among the most cherished parts of this experience. I went there as a learner, but I came away having learnt lessons about life, resilience, gratitude, compassion, and humanity that cannot be taught in a classroom. This placement makes your “believe the patient” lesson much more powerful because it comes directly from what you observed during the home visits, rather than sounding like a textbook principle.

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