• Palliative care helps the terminally ill in their final phase of life
• Die Brücke e.V. makes possible urgently needed therapies which are not financed by statutory health insurance
• Die Brücke e.V. relieves families and relatives through integrated work for the terminally ill

What exactly is palliative care? The phrase derives from the Latin "Pallium - cloak“ or "palliare - to cloak something“. In everyday medical terms, it refers to dealing with an illness for which, basically, there is no cure.

Palliative care aims at ethically-oriented caring for the patients involved. A professional team of doctors, carers, psychologists, ministers, physiotherapists and nutritionists is available to offer comprehensive help to patients during the difficult phase of confronting the end of life. Frequently, this help is also needed for loved ones, family and friends.

Most patients requiring palliative care suffer from some sort of cancer. But such care is also applied to any other incurable ailment, such as multiple sclerosis, or to patients with grave heart or lung disease, or those suffering from dementia.

Medicine, in dealing with suffering or pain, is frequently very body-oriented. By contrast, palliative care tries to include all qualities of human existence, at all levels where suffering and pain are experienced: mental, social, spiritual. Palliative care thus demands the cooperation of a variety of professional disciplines and therapies.

Unfortunately, many of these important therapies are not covered by statutory health insurance. For this reason, a dedicated group of women and men has been formed in the association known as Die Brücke e.V. with the aim of supporting the work of palliative care so that patients are accompanied in the best possible way right through to their final hours.

Support is given to areas including:

- Financing further care facilities
- Acquisition of adjustable chairs for mobilizing patients
- Providing special meals
- Financing such extras as art therapy, music therapy and exercise therapies in support of medical treatment
- Mobile hairdressing, manicure and pedicure services
- Providing special medical aid