On 18 April, we celebrate European Patients' Rights Day. It is worth remembering on this day those who support patients in their recovery on a daily basis. Although they do not always know it, they too have rights.
Hidden or forgotten, silent, invisible patients - this is what psychologists call people who often sacrifice all their time, professional and social life, but also their passions and interests, in order to be able to take care of their dependent relatives. Who are they? They are Carers. Focusing on helping, they often forget about themselves and the fact that there is a range of support options dedicated to them.
- Carers often forget about themselves, their own needs and problems, including their health. A huge role in reaching out to them with support is first and foremost to make them aware that they are being remembered, that they are not forgotten at all. Showing in public spaces and social initiatives that carers often also need help, that they themselves are also affected by illnesses of various kinds, helps them to remember or realise that they themselves are also patients. - says Adrianna Sobol, a psycho-oncologist from the Medical University of Warsaw.
An initiative to support caregivers is the Caregiver's Bill of Rights, which was created as part of the Nutricia Foundation's educational campaign 'Medical nutrition - Your meals in the fight against illness'. It is a unique document that is a practical tool to support carers in their daily duties and to remind them that they are not forgotten. It is a collection of the most important rules and rights of the carer.
Card provides carers with a concise overview of the key provisions that affect them: from legal definitions of care, to options for financial support, to information on reimbursable procedures that can facilitate care. One such procedure is the National Health Fund (NHF)-funded home enteral nutrition.
The full Carer's Bill of Rights and a short downloadable version are available on the website: zywieniemedyczne.co.uk/o-campaigns/card-right-guardian
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About the campaign "Medical nutrition - Your meals in the fight against disease"
The educational campaign 'Medical nutrition - Your meals in the fight against illness' aims to build awareness of medical nutrition as an integral part of healthcare and to support patients and their caregivers in the treatment process. Since the first edition carried out in 2016, activities have included education on nutritional support in cancer. In the following years, the campaign was expanded to include activities dedicated to neurology, as well as on enteral nutrition through a special access to the gastrointestinal tract (directly into the stomach or intestine), taking into account the different disease entities in which it is used.
The initiative was set up in 2016 by Nutricia. Since its 5th edition, it has been implemented by Nutricia Foundation.
The campaign has been supported by many scientific societies and patient organisations since its inception.
For more information visit: www.zywieniemedyczne.pl