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LIFE BEFORE DEATH -- Access to Morphine

Posted by Greg Schneider on April 21, 2012 at 9:48am
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DVD OUT NOW www.lifebeforedeath.com "LIFE Before Death (2012)" Film released on February 1, 2012 in over 100 locations worldwide. To find out more visit www.lifebeforedeath.com/movie Short Film 32 of 50 in the LIFE Before Death documentary series about the global crisis in untreated pain and the dramatic life changing effect palliative care services can deliver to patients and their families around the world. LIFE Before Death is a documentary project comprising a feature film, a one-hour television program and 50 short films about the global crisis in untreated pain and the dramatic life changing effect palliative care services can deliver to patients and their families around the world. The project is broadly about terminal patients, their families and the remarkable health care professionals fighting to change the culture of medicine to be focused on care, rather than exclusively on cure. Curative medicine is the cornerstone of national health systems around the world and the primary motivation for many aspiring doctors. While curing patients is unquestionably a key goal, the over-zealous application of cure-based approaches is often at the detriment of patient well being, particularly towards the end of life. For patients with life-limiting illnesses cure is simply not an option. With skyrocketing numbers of patients suffering from incurable cancer, HIV-AIDS and chronic diseases, a paradigm shift is urgently needed to provide holistic and humane treatment for the world's dying. Opiate medications, including morphine, are recognized as the gold standard treatment for moderate to severe pain. Regrettably 4 of every 5 patients around the world who need these 'essential' medicines currently have inadequate access due to international regulatory barriers, counter-productive attitudes towards in both the health and public spheres, lack of relevant medical education, and a shortage of public awareness and political will to do more about this immanently solvable problem. In addition to effective pain control, studies have shown that the application of palliative care addressing a patient's 'total pain' - be it physical, psychological, social, spiritual or practical struggles - not only improves quality of life and reduces depression but also extends the life spans of patients with life limiting illnesses. LIFE Before Death will include 50 short films themed around pain control and end of life issues, releasing one a week for a year from May 2011. The project is broadly about patients facing life-limiting illness, their families and the remarkable health care professionals fighting to change the culture of medicine to be focused on care, rather than exclusively on cure. A feature film will be released in early 2012, followed by the release of a television documentary in late 2012. The project is presented by the Lien Foundation and produced by Moonshine Movies. It is also supported by the International Association for the Study of Pain, The Mayday Fund, the Union for International Cancer Control and The Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice International Programs.

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  • Frances Shani Parker April 21, 2012 at 11:50am

    This is an excellent video trailer about the extraordinary need for more focus on patients' pain. So much more must be done if we truly believe in the hospice-palliative philosophy that everyone is entitled to a pain-free death experience.

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