-
The Biggest Gap in Palliative Care isn’t the accessibility, it’s Awareness
If someone had asked me what palliative care meant a couple of years ago, I would have answered with complete confidence and I would have been completely wrong. Like many people, I believed palliative care simply meant taking your loved one home when treatment had ended. In many ways, that belief was reinforced by the conversations we had during my father’s illness.
-
Dignity in Life, Dignity in Death
Are you afraid of death? Are you ready for it? Most of us are afraid of the unknown. Death is often spoken about in hushed voices, as though discussing it might somehow make it more real. We avoid conversations about dying, even though death is the inevitable end of every life. Perhaps what we need is not to avoid death, but to prepare ourselves to face its reality with acceptance…
-
Between Empty Chairs and Weathered Homes: A Psycho-Oncologist’s Journey
Today, during a session with an elderly man receiving palliative care from our team, his 23-year-old son asked me a heartbreaking question: “Does feeling like my father is already gone and preparing myself for his death make me a bad son?” “What makes you say that you are preparing for his death?” I asked. He mentioned that he had informed their relatives back in Bihar that “there is no more…
-
IAPC and Alpha Palliative Care Organise International Conference on Palliative Care, 9-11 October 2026
IAPC, in partnership with Alpha Palliative Care, will organise an International Conference on Palliative Care from 9–11 October 2026 at Alpha Hospice, Edamuttam, Thrissur, Kerala, commemorating World Hospice and Palliative Care Day. The conference, themed “Pain Management: An Essential Part of Palliative Care,” will feature scientific sessions, a hospice tour and walkathon. Registrations are open.
-
IAPC Gold Medal for Nurses 2026: Step 1 Results
IAPC Gold Medal for Nurses 2026: Step 1 Results We are delighted to announce the results of the Step 1 online screening test for IAPC’s Gold Medal for Nurses 2026. A total of 139 nurses registered, of whom 101 were eligible to sit the screening test, held between 1 and 31 August 2026. highest number of applicants were from Karnataka and Kerala (21 each), with Rajasthan in second place (17…
-
Every Home Is a Lesson in Life
Today’s home care visits to seven homes have left a deep weight in our hearts. We met children and daughters-in-law caring for mothers in their 90s, despite the struggles of poverty, age and illness. We met a 90-year-old mother caring for her son, who is over 60 years, and suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
-
When the Language of Suffering Fails Us: A Clinician’s Reflection
Visible injuries are easy to name. A fracture appears on an X-ray; a wound can be dressed. They draw attention, intervention, and often sympathy. What remains less visible is harder to recognise: emotional trauma, grief, and a quieter, more diffuse form of suffering; existential distress. Years of working in palliative care have shaped my understanding of suffering, familiarised me with the language of existential concerns, the importance of self-care, and…
-
Gratitude
He was 39 and his cancer progressed faster than the family could fathom. Amidst anger, denial, bargaining and blame there was a man battling excruciating and unbearable pain. Like molten lava the pain engulfed his entire being. I remember his humour in middle of a pain crisis, his flashing a smile every time we greeted him good morning on the morning rounds.
-
IAPC Announces Awards Worth Rs 4 Lakhs for Paper and Poster Presentations at IAPCON 2027
IAPC Announces Awards Worth Rs 4 Lakhs for Paper and Poster Presentations at IAPCON 2027 The Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) is pleased to announce a total prize pool of ₹4,00,000 for the winners of the paper and poster presentation competitions at the 34th Annual International Conference of the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPCON 2027). This prestigious competition invites entries under four distinct categories: Doctors Doctors (Students) – MD/DNB…
-
A Cup of Coffee, A Cup of Gratitude
One of the most beautiful moments during home visits is something that can never be documented in a patient record—the inevitable cup of coffee waiting for us. We receive the same invitation in almost every home: “Doctor, please have a cup of coffee before you leave.” Sometimes it’s coffee, sometimes tea, sometimes a small snack lovingly prepared. It isn’t about the beverage. It’s their way of saying, “Thank you for…
-
When Words Fall Silent: Communication Beyond Words in Palliative Care
When Words Fall Silent: Communication Beyond Words in Palliative Care Mr Anshid C. I., Chennai “Communication is the key.” Everyone working in palliative care has probably heard this sentence many times. Classes on communication, training sessions, models, and protocols are part of our learning. We are taught how to talk to patients and their families, how to break bad news, what to say, what not to say, and when silence…
-
Some people leave the hospital, Some never leave your heart
Some people leave the hospital, Some never leave your heart Dr Amit Jain, Delhi “मैं उनके सामने कमज़ोर नहीं पड़ सकता…” A few days ago, a 76-year-old gentleman with advanced prostate cancer was admitted to our Palliative and End-of-Life Care Unit. He had been under our care before, but this time, the disease had won the battle against his body. The cancer had already spread to his lungs and liver.…
nioiapc@gmail.com
+91 94466 93898
Stay connected
“Join US in Bringing Compassion to Those Who Need It Most.
Dr. Geeta Joshi
President, IAPC
Together, let us make a difference in the lives of people living with serious and life-limiting illnesses.
Your support can help strengthen the efforts of the IAPC. Be a part of the movement.
Help bring comfort, dignity and hope to individuals and families in need of palliative care.”
