The role of palliative rehabilitation in the preservation of personhood at the end of life

Abstract

Progressive advancements in the fields of medicine, oncology and palliative care have seen significant gains in the life expectancy but have also resulted in patients living longer with the burdens of cancer. It is within the sphere of end-of-life care that the role of palliative rehabilitation comes into its own in addressing the effects of increased physical and psychological morbidity that accompany many of these prognostic gains. Focusing on the cancer journey, we highlight the impact of rehabilitative measures on efforts to preserve the personhood of a patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and thus maintain her dignity and quality of life and provide her with appropriate and effective holistic care at the end of life. Through employing the Ring Theory of Personhood, the critical role of the complementary aspects of palliative rehabilitation in end-of-life care is brought to the fore. Copyright 2014 BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.