This episode features Lily Man Lee Chan (School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR).

What is already known about the topic?

Progressive neurologic diseases involve complex, fluctuating symptoms and function decline.
Palliative care aims to improve quality of life and symptom control.
Access to palliative services is often limited to advanced disease stages or based on prognosis.
Palliative care needs among people with progressive neurological diseases are understudied in Asian contexts.

What this paper adds?

People with progressive neurological diseases experience significant palliative care needs related to physical, psychosocial, and spiritual concerns from the early stages of illness, highlighting the necessity of early palliative care based on individual needs rather than prognosis.
Patients with progressive neurological diseases navigated complex psychospiritual distress, transitioning from negativity to life renegotiation by fostering acceptance, focusing on the present, and embracing a positive outlook despite ongoing disease progression and future uncertainties.
Findings underscore the importance of adopting a person-centered holistic approach that incorporates psychospiritual support, suggesting a symptom-based palliative care approach.

Implications for practice, theory or policy

Palliative care services should proactively assess and address the multidimensional needs of people with progressive neurological diseases from diagnosis onward, not only at advanced stages.
Health professionals need to integrate psychospiritual care and facilitate timely, open conversations about future care preferences before cognitive decline occurs.
Policy and service development should enable needs-based, flexible access to palliative care for people with progressive neurological diseases, and promote education for patients, families, and providers on the benefits of early palliative involvement.

Full paper available from:

If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu:

This episode features Lily Man Lee Chan (School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR).

What is already known about the topic?

Progressive neurologic diseases involve complex, fluctuating symptoms and function decline.
Palliative care aims to improve quality of life and symptom control.
Access to palliative services is often limited to advanced disease stages or based on prognosis.
Palliative care needs among people with progressive neurological diseases are understudied in Asian contexts.

What this paper adds?

People with progressive neurological diseases experience significant palliative care needs related to physical, psychosocial, and spiritual concerns from the early stages of illness, highlighting the necessity of early palliative care based on individual needs rather than prognosis.
Patients with progressive neurological diseases navigated complex psychospiritual distress, transitioning from negativity to life renegotiation by fostering acceptance, focusing on the present, and embracing a positive outlook despite ongoing disease progression and future uncertainties.
Findings underscore the importance of adopting a person-centered holistic approach that incorporates psychospiritual support, suggesting a symptom-based palliative care approach.

Implications for practice, theory or policy

Palliative care services should proactively assess and address the multidimensional needs of people with progressive neurological diseases from diagnosis onward, not only at advanced stages.
Health professionals need to integrate psychospiritual care and facilitate timely, open conversations about future care preferences before cognitive decline occurs.
Policy and service development should enable needs-based, flexible access to palliative care for people with progressive neurological diseases, and promote education for patients, families, and providers on the benefits of early palliative involvement.

Full paper available from:

If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu:

Balancing present-moment acceptance and ...