Vatican conference reinforces church commitment to palliative care

Published: 2004-11-15

ROME (CNS) -- A parent's worst nightmare may be to watch a child's life slipping away and not be able to do anything about it. It is this situation that actor Robin Williams, in the 1998 film "Patch Adams," tries to relieve. The comedian plays clown and doctor deftly acting out a growing field in medicine: palliative care, a therapeutic approach to terminally ill patients that aims to dignify their final days and support their families. Scenes from this film and others dealing with death were shown at an international conference on palliative care sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers Nov. 11-13. The Vatican conference brought together doctors and nurses, bioethicists, psychologists and social workers, along with representatives of nongovernmental organizations from 76 countries.

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