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Caring Together FAQs

1. How much would you charge for helping us with a patient who is dying?

We will estimate, free of charge, what the weekly costs might be. Ask for our FREE Home Care Needs Evaluation by calling 619 216 270.    This is a number of the professional service we contract.

Our services are normally available only to residents of Alicante Province  but that may change, so feel free to ask!

2. What if we can’t afford the services you recommend?

Call 96 589 4240. We may be able to help you find a solution. That’s what we are here for.

3. Does Caring Together believe in euthanasia?

Caring Together works within the framework of Spanish Law, which does not permit Euthanasia . This subject remains under active debate in many countries, including Spain: we must follow the National law and custom. So this service is not available through us.

4. Do you use morphine to reduce severe pain?

This is something a doctor (sometimes more than one doctor ) must decide. The question is often how large a dose is permissible, for it is well known that morphine in high doses can shorten life as well as reduce pain. Emails have come our way from doctors, complaining about hospital pharmacists who object to releasing the amount of morphine doctors wish to use. We believe that to know the wishes of both the patient and the close carers can often help doctors. By expressing their own views about the needs of the patient, those around him may help doctors to decide what they believe is the appropriate way to prescribe.

So-called “morphine drivers” are available which deliver a measured dose automatically when the patient himself presses a button. The doctor is able to pre-set the permitted dosage. If a doctor were to ask Caring Together to supply such a machine, we would do so if funds were available.

Another thing that is important in considering prescription of painkillers is the relationship between patient and carer. Will the patient be better cared for if able to rest tranquilly ? Will the carer be relieved of stress, and be able to be more caring ? Note that even doctors and nurses can get stressed up when having to work with patients who are suffering agonies of pain. !

5. Do our doctors face restrictions in the use of opiates such as morphine?

We have not heard of official restrictions but sometimes a doctor may be criticised by fellow doctors.

If the patient is experiencing severe pain and agrees to the prescription of opiates then we are fully supportive of the joint decision of patient and doctor. But behind every doctor stands a good pharmacist and there have been recent cases of Spanish doctors receiving severe criticism from hospital pharmacists for prescribing too much morphine !.

Doctors experience enough stress in attending their patients without having to put up with that – so it seems a good idea that TWO doctors should be involved, each to support the other. It’s well known that morphine may shorten life as well as giving relief from pain. This “double effect” is a serious cause for controversy. Some doctors duck the issue and refuse to prescribe opiates of any kind. We believe it is almost always justified if the object is to reduce suffering. If the object were to kill, on the other hand, that would be murder.

7. What is the source of your funds?

At present, most of our funds have come from private sources, the generosity of businesses and often a a sign of gratitude from families we have helped at a difficult time.
Donations often come in “out of the blue” . Holidaymakers put their small change in our huchas (collection boxes). You’d be surprised how many 1c and 2c coins we have to count !

Various supporters not only run Rastro Stalls once or twice a week, but also organise major entertainments which sometimes bring in thousands of Euros.

There are legacies “in the pipeline”, too. We thank people who remember us in their Wills, and wish them many years before their kindness comes into play! Sometimes those who have lost a loved one whom we have been helping arrange for a collection at the eventual funeral and donate the proceeds to help us help other patients.

Many friends could, if they realise it, use their Spanish income tax form to make an annual donation which years ago went exclusively to the Church! Just by ticking a box and supplying the name of Caring Together !

What we hope for (dream of) is to attract the goodwill of large foundations and of regional government. We want to convince them that our work is of general social benefit.

Fundraising might be much easier if we felt the time was right to be buying land and building Hospices  but National policy is not pointing that way, favouring instead the creation of hospital-based palliative care units, which do similar work. Already we are co-operating with such units. Those that do exist have too much to do and we hope they find our support encouraging.

8. How long are you prepared to work with a particular patient, for some non-government organizations limit themselves to making a one-off grant?

As long as we have funds available and suitably qualified staff we’ll not leave anyone high and dry ! Actually one of our big concerns is that many carers tell us they wish they had approached us sooner. Too often a distraught carer phones us when things are running out of control. When this happens we may perhaps be with the patient for only a few days or weeks. We think we could be of greater service in the community if people would approach us at an earlier stage.

9. What is the composition of an ideal palliative care team?

Our answer is cribbed from the Ministry of Health in Madrid. The team should consist of two doctors, one graduate nurse (who can train the family helpers in best ways of caring) one or more auxiliary carers (with the appropriate diploma) along with a qualified social worker and a psychologist, whose job, I suppose, would be to monitor symptoms of stress in all concerned and keep everybody sane !

10. Have you any such teams? do they speak English?

We do NOT, unfortunately, have any such teams as yet. What we do have is very valuable, though, the commitment to palliative care of a contracted care agency which has district coordinators up and down the province, which extends over more than 100 km north to south. These coordinators, with their detailed knowledge of what is available in their own areas, are able to bring in other agencies as necessary. Each district is headed by a qualified and experienced nurse who may well be bi-lingual.

A prime concern is that these leaders are effective in castillian Spanish in their healthcare relationships with other public and private healthcare providers. This is so that they may secure the best posible attention for each patient. We know that there is a large English community which lacks language skills  but there are very many other languages spoken here, too. The only common language is Spanish! We do have English nurses serving the English community, of course, but the first priority is that they be good nurses and can comunícate effectively in Spanish, too.

11. So what stage have you reached?

Our reputation is growing patient by patient. After the sad event, people talk, word gets round. At the moment we are maybe like a foetus, kicking gently. Before long we hope to be a lusty infant. We hope, for the common good, that our voice will be heard increasingly.