Vega Baja Hospital provides palliative care at home for around 300 patients a year

Orihuela’s Vega Baja University Hospital provides palliative care at home for around 300 patients a year, supporting people who remain in their own homes at the end of their lives alongside their relatives and carers.

The service is delivered by palliative care professionals from the Hospital at Home Unit (UHD), whose work combines medical assistance with support for those sharing the patient’s everyday life.

Managing symptoms and supporting families

Those receiving care include people with cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as older people who need palliative support.

The support offered is not limited to treating physical symptoms: it also takes account of the emotional needs and social circumstances of both the people receiving palliative care and the relatives who accompany them, with their wellbeing as the aim of care.

José Manuel Murcia Zaragoza, who heads Internal Medicine and the department’s Hospital at Home and Palliative Care Unit, says support at home is similar to that provided in hospital, focusing on symptom management and accompanying families.

The doctor also highlights the comfort and peace of mind that remaining in one’s own home can offer during this stage of life.

A meeting on the ethics of care

The Orihuela Health Department has also held its third Palliative Care Conference, recognising the work of relatives and professionals who accompany people towards the end of their lives.

Murcia contributed a presentation entitled «Ethics of care», advocating a humanistic approach to healthcare and the need for the health system to care for people as well as treat illness.

His talk placed people’s vulnerability and the shared commitment to meeting their needs at the centre of this reflection on care.

The programme also included a screening of the documentary «Cuidar», as part of activities intended to share experiences and reflect on palliative care and support for families.