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“Who Cares for the Caregiver?”: Professional Quality of Life in Palliative Care

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Hospice Palliative Home Care and Bereavement Support

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Abstract

An integrated approach to Hospice, Palliative, and End-of-Life (HP/EOL) care requires nurses and other formal caregivers to advocate for their patients who are facing life-limiting illness. Although palliative care professionals view their ability to work in these areas as a privilege, they are also dealing with considerable disparities between the growing demand for a palliative approach to care, and the capacity of various care settings to fully implement this approach. There are concerns regarding the cumulative emotional and/or mental toll experienced by nurses and other formal caregivers who are contending with perceived gaps in care and inadequate pain and symptom management. The following chapter focuses on the potential factors influencing the professional quality of life of nurses and other formal caregivers who provide HP/EOL care, with a summary of personal and organizational strategies intended to improve self-care and encourage the development of supportive work environments that foster provider wellness.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan, Regina, SK, Canada

    Kelly Penz

  2. Saskatchewan Health Authority, Moose Jaw, SK, Canada

    Lisa Tipper

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  1. Kelly Penz
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Correspondence to Kelly Penz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Lorraine Holtslander

  2. College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Shelley Peacock

  3. College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Jill Bally

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Penz, K., Tipper, L. (2019). “Who Cares for the Caregiver?”: Professional Quality of Life in Palliative Care. In: Holtslander, L., Peacock, S., Bally, J. (eds) Hospice Palliative Home Care and Bereavement Support. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19535-9_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19535-9_1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-19535-9

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