Consultancy: Palliative care Training for Health workers and Social workers – Lviv Ukraine

About HelpAge International

HelpAge International works with partners and a diverse global network of more than 170 organisations over 90 countries, supporting millions of older people to live safe, dignified, and healthy lives. Through our partnership and collaborations, we work to ensure the inclusion of older people across society and strive to deliver a just and fair world for everyone, whatever their age.

About HelpAge Ukraine

HelpAge has been operating in Ukraine since 2014, and we initiated our response to the current crisis since 2022, we are the only the organisation working for older people in Ukraine. HelpAge currently has been implementing programme in five oblasts (Dnipro, Kharkhiv, Zaporozia, Poltava, Donetsk,) in the East three oblast (Chernivtsi, Lviv and Ivana Fransiska) in the West with direct implementation and through our partners. The specific care needs of older people with life-limiting illness, or those who are dying, are largely unexplored. There is a limited understanding of, and mentality towards, palliative care in humanitarian crises, a lack of prioritisation of older people with palliative care needs, and limited existing empirical research.Ukraine has the largest percentage of older people affected by conflict in a single country in the world.[i] Eighty-nine per cent of Ukrainian older people have a chronic health condition, 71 per cent with multi-morbidities. Despite this, care for older people with life-limiting illness is not currently a priority amidst competing needs in the context of war, and no research exists to understand the specific palliative care experiences and needs of older people in Ukraine.

HelpAge International propose to implement home/ community based palliative care for the crisis affected older people in Ukraine. Health and supportive care will be provided to individuals with serious illnesses, typically with a limited life expectancy. The primary goal of palliative care is to improve the quality of life for patients and their families by addressing their physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. It focuses on managing symptoms, alleviating pain, and providing holistic support during all stages of a disease including advanced stages of illnesses. Palliative care aims to manage symptoms effectively, such as pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, and other discomforts. The goal is to improve the patient’s comfort and overall well-being.

Training Objectives

The main objective of the training is to build/ develop capacity of health care profesionsal with knowledge and skills on the following specific areas;

Scope of training

Palliative and end of life training courses and qualifications cover one of the most challenging areas of work for care workers.The course contents will also include the following aspects:.

• Define palliative care. Explain the core principles: holistic, patient-centered, and family-focused care.
• Goal of Palliative care(Relieve suffering., Improve quality of life, Facilitate informed decision-making).
• Effective communication(Active listening.Empathy and compassion. Breaking bad news.
• Advance Care planning: Discussing goals of care.Documenting patient preferences.Involving family and caregivers.
• Pain Management, symptoms management( Assessment and measurement.,Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions., Addressing concerns about opioid use
• Psychosocial Support Addressing emotional and psychological needs.Coping strategies for patients and families.
• Cultural Awareness Recognizing and respecting diversity Understanding cultural influences on care preferences.
• Interdisciplinary Team Approach Roles of various team members (doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, etc.).
• Collaboration with Other Healthcare Providers: Coordinating with specialists Transitioning between different levels of care

By the end of the training, the training provider should introduce training participants to the best practice implementation of palliative care as well as effective results for long term sustainability.

Methodology

The course contents will also include the considerations in managing signs, symptoms and assessing the patient as well as communicating with the patient, family, and care giver, and the principles and management of respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital, nervous systems’ symptoms and conditions in palliative care.The training provider should come up with a participatory training methodology in which its participatory aspect should be reflected in the designing, facilitation and the training materials. The proposed methodology should allow participants to:

• Share their experiences and knowledge to maximise potential peer learning.
• Provide opportunities for participants to link theoretical concepts to their own working environments to facilitate application of learning in their work following the formal training.
• Maximise participants engagement and to deepen understanding.
• Address individual requirements/ provide feedback.
• Encouraged to participate in classroom discussions and group work.
• Make the experience and learning applicable to the realities of the humanitarian sector in Sudan Context.

Participants

Training participants will be selected from different primary health care/PHC centres( Doctors and Nurses). The trained participants will impart further training to the social workers.

Location and Timeframe

The training will be conducted in Western Ukraine( Lviv) between January 2024 until February 2024.

Responsibilities and requirements

HelpAge will provide:

1. Catering and training venue
2. Selecting and inviting participants.
3. Accommodation for participants
4. Stationary for Participants
5. Arranging participants’ movement and paying per diems to participants

The training provider should provide:

• Developing training material and completion certificates for all participants
• Shipment of training material for participants
• Training facilitator/s

Deliverables

The training provider should develop and communicate with HelpAge the following;

1. Technical Proposal (demonstrates how the training provider understands the Training TOR and how the TOR requirements will be met). Prior to the startup of the training.
2. Training schedule. Prior to the startup of the training.
3. Financial proposal/ budget (demonstrates the detailed cost of the training delivery). Prior to the startup of the training.
4. Training report (narrative) including assessment of sessions and participants satisfaction. After the training has been conducted.
5. Participants list

[i] HelpAge International (2022). Ukraine: Rapid Needs Assessment of Displaced Older People, HelpAge International, London