Karunashraya (meaning a home of compassion) situated on Airport-Varthur Road is involved in free palliative care to poor and needy cancer patients.
Palliative care is active total care of a person whose disease has gone beyond cure. Palliative care aims at adding life to days. Not days to life. Karunashraya's hospice care enables a terminally ill cancer patient to cross over without pain and suffering. According to him, Karunashraya also addresses the painful psychological problems of the cancer patient and his family as well. The NGO is offering the following services:

Bangalore Hospice Trust:
The aim of improving the quality of life of terminally ill persons was what prompted the setting up of the Bangalore Hospice Trust in 1994. The Hospice provides in-patient care to 55 persons in the centre appropriately named "Karunashraya".

Karunashraya is a part of Bangalore Hospice Trust (BHT), a project of Indian Cancer Society and Rotary Club of Bangalore in Indiranagar. The land has been leased by the Karnataka State Government. And it runs solely on donations. All the donations to Karunashraya are covered by Income Tax exemptions under Section 80G and Section 35AC (100 per cent exemption).

It provides personal care, emotional support, respite care, financial and legal planning advice, symptom control, appropriate nutrition, bereavement support and medical supplies and equipment. The building also provides accommodation for full time nursing staff, helpers and other para-medicals. It also provides day-care facilities for patients who wish to be looked after during the day but want to go home for the night. Up to 1st March 2007, we have admitted about 4,835 patients of whom approximately 2,810 have died - in peace and with dignity.

Rotary Indiranagar-BHT Center For Palliative Care Education

Palliative care is a concept that is little known in India. It covers all aspects of caring and managing a patient for alleviation of symptoms when medicine can no longer cure the disease. Bangalore Hospice Trust, together with the Rotary Club of Bangalore Indiranagar, has taken the major initiative in starting training activities for Doctors, Nurses, Social workers etc, both at the center and as out reach programmes at other institutions. The center for palliative care education opened in May 1999 and is spreading growing awareness in the medical field.
This also acknowledges that being a voluntary organisation we might have our limitations of how many needy patients we might be able to reach. For this reason we have set for ourselves the goal of spreading the knowledge of Palliative Care to as many doctors, nurses, social workers etc. so that they can, in turn, reach the needy.

Home Care Service
In a scheme quite unique in India, members of the Bangalore Hospice Trust (BHT), decided to take up the not-so-popular cause of caring for the terminally ill from within the family. This is how was born the idea of the Home-Care Service. The Home Care Service has experienced nurses, trained as counselors, who go from home to home offering nursing care, moral support, counseling and training to ravaged families of terminally ill cancer patients.

They also train families to look after the basic needs of the patients like changing of clothes and bed linen, prevention of pressure sores, sponging, administration of palliative drugs etc., until a peaceful end. The Environment
The premises of Karunashraya is so soothing to its inmates. An artificial water body has been created in the premises of the palliative care centre. The inmates of Karunashraya can sit and take rest here by looking at the serene waters. Or can relax at the meditation room. The place has enough greenery.

Donate:
Have a heart to care for such terminally ill patients and want to donate money too? Then contact: Kishore S.Rao
Managing Trustee
Email: karunashraya@vsnl.com

Address:
BANGALORE HOSPICE TRUST
Airport-Varthur Main Road,
Marathahalli,
Bangalore- 560 037.
India
Tel : 91-80-2847 6133, 91-80-2847 6509
Fax: 91-80-2847 6201

|