Binaytara Foundation Starts Free Home Hospice Services in Nepal

    BELLINGHAM, WA, April 20, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In collaboration with Cancer Care Nepal, the Binaytara Foundation (BTF) has established a home hospice program in Patan, Nepal. The goal of this BTF home hospice program is to provide peace, comfort, and dignity to patients with terminal illnesses by allowing them to spend the last few months of their lives among their loved ones, free of pain and discomfort. With home hospice programs like this one, the hospice care team visits terminally ill patients at their homes to provide comfort care as needed. BTF Home Hospice services are provided free of cost to the patients and their families. Twelve terminally ill patients have already benefited from the BTF Home Hospice services since the program began in January 2016.

In December 2015, Tricia Reynolds, RN, APN, a hospice and Palliative care nurse practitioner from Boise, Idaho, traveled to Nepal to train the BTF Home Hospice team. During the training, the team members learned management of patients suffering from terminal illnesses. They also practiced communication skills and how to help families talk about difficult things. Thirteen nurses completed the training, which primarily focused on hospice visits in the home. In addition to supporting the training of the hospice care team, the BTF supports the salary of medical and patient care staff, equipment, motorcycle transportation, and electronic medical records, bringing the care free of cost to the patients' homes.

Dr. Madan Piya, medical director of the Binaytara Home Hospice Program says, "In Nepal, approximately 80-90% of the estimated 60,000 new cancer patients a year die the same year because of late presentation. Seeking hospice and Palliative care isn't about giving up hope or hastening death, but rather a way to get the most appropriate care in the last phase of life. Binaytara Home Hospice Care program is good for Nepali patients and their families. It meets some of the challenges that Nepal is facing in management of patients at home."

Binaytara Foundation (BTF) is an Illinois-based, 501(c)3 non-profit organization. BTF charitable projects include bone marrow transplant in Nepal, research grants and disaster management. The BTF organizes an annual cancer conference for physicians and other healthcare providers. For more information on BTF projects, visit www.binayfoundation.org.

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