Paliatívna medicína a liečba bolesti 1-2e/2018

The use of non-pharmacological treatment in terminally ill seniors

Non-pharmacological treatment procedure has a significant effect in the treatment of seniors. They can be used as an alternative to pharmacological treatment or in combination with drug therapy. By analysis of articles in databases we found out that non-pharmacological treatment is most often used in the treatment of geriatric syndromes, but also in the care of the terminally ill. In the article we present different methods of non-pharmacological treatment and their use in palliative and hospice care. Parts of the article are also the results of the research, which was carried out in the social services facilities and hospices in the Slovak Republic. The aim was to find out how non-pharmacological treatment is used in seniors in health facilities and compare its use according to the type of facility. The research group consisted of nurses working in social services facilities and hospices, the total number of 168. The main method was the non-standardized questionnaire. After analyzing the results, we found that non-pharmacological treatment procedures are an important part of treatment for terminally ill seniors. The most frequently used methods were nursing rehabilitation, therapeutic communication, diet nutrition, hydration and basal stimulation. The results are part of the project KEGA 016KU-4/2017 Possibilities of interdisciplinary cooperation in the realization of seniors non-pharmacological treatment in institutional care.

Keywords: non-pharmacological treatment, methods of treatment, terminally ill senior, the KEGA project