It has been accepted internationally that the largest proportion of healthcare costs incurred by a citizen are generated in the final months of life. We are therefore discussing the largest source of costs to the healthcare system, an issue to which insufficient attention has been paid. In these cases, both the CPI-613 purchase symptoms themselves and the complexity of accompanying circumstances cause a high degree of suffering in the patient Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and a social and family crisis in his immediate environment,

as well as incurring the largest share of healthcare expenditure in the life of each respective patient. Palliative Care (PC) [2] has been scientifically demonstrated as a truly effective tool in both welfare and organisational terms, complementing appropriate medication and medical care with psychological, social and spiritual support for patients and their careers. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical In addition, the final period of illness is accompanied in nearly all cases by a more or less prolonged period of functional deterioration, leading inexorably to the development of a state of dependence on the part of the terminally ill patient, often accompanied Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical by tremendous socio-familial complexity. Thus, the enormous diversity of psycho-social factors that surround every case can generate a

wide range of needs, of greater or lesser severity, which need to be attended to routinely, and which, conversely, do not fall within the competencies provided by the health system itself. In fact, such needs Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical are better understood within the social sphere and often include, among others: – Need for attention to patient dependency: assistance with performing the basic and instrumental activities of daily living; reducing as far as possible the loss of sensory capabilities, and facilitating measures which can compensate for such deterioration; training in habits that improve personal autonomy; early

warning of loss of autonomy; measures for the safety and protection Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of the patient; and adaptation of the environment. – Needs of carers and the patient’s social support network: information about available support services; Carnitine dehydrogenase training and capacity-building for professional and/or family carers; development of communication skills to facilitate dialogue with the patient; family rest and respite; reconciliation of care with the professional life of the carer; psychosocial support to prevent burnout; and the exchange of experiences with other carers. – Protection of the patient’s social role: decision-making autonomy and the communication of the final will; companionship; spiritual expression; leisure and entertainment; privacy or intimacy; interpersonal and social relationships.