Palliative Care and Support

Palliative Care and Support

Palliative care is an important and specialised type of medical care that provides patients with relief from suffering or pain caused by long term or terminal illness no matter the diagnosis or stage of disease. Palliative care teams aim to improve the quality of life for both patients and their families.

Palliative care teams aim to improve the quality of life for both patients and their families.For many people, end of life care is difficult as the patient finds themself with little options. MMMs work to provide palliative care for people who need health services to cope with pain and to die with dignity. We work with people who have terminal illnesses like advanced stages of cancer or untreatable AIDS or who are very frail or elderly. Bringing comfort to people at this difficult time is something that we MMMs do with great care.

Much of what MMM does focuses on the ability to bring the healing charism to people in most need.

Counter Human Trafficking

Tragically, in some of the poorest parts of the world young children and vulnerable adults are sought to be trafficked. MMMs seeing the growing need to educate, protect and help prevent Human trafficking are involved in many efforts to reverse this trend. Counter Human Trafficking (CHT) requires many levels of involvement to make changes. We are facing a global epidemic of growth in using vulnerable people as illegally trafficked workers.
MMMs are involved in educating people about how to protect themselves and their children from the methods of traffickers. They are also involved in trying to help people get out of bad situations once trafficked. There are so many ways in which people are tricked or betrayed to get them or their children into a very dangerous and difficult trap.

Human Traffickers know their market in approaching vulnerable families. For people who are very poor and starving, money offered can be enticing because they do not see they have other options. MMMs respond to the needs of the local people in places where humans are being recruited or routed by sex and human traders. MMMs work with local authorities to help change conditions and prepare people on how to protect themselves or what to do to rebuild their life after being trafficked.

Sr. Mary O’Malley has been involved with CHT for many years in East Africa and is doing incredible work to improve conditions for people negatively impacted by it. She is also central to organising conferences, education programmes and global government efforts to reverse CHT wherever possible. She has created a network of caring people who are dedicated to ending CHT. There are also Sisters involved in North America and Ireland.

Holistic Healing and Health Education

In addition to providing traditional hospital and clinic health services, MMM Sisters are involved in various types of holistic healing and also in providing health education.

Open to what serves the needs of the community and the individual best, MMM offers a variety of holistic healing services that patients would otherwise be unable to access.

Health education is offered in many ways in areas where the need is unmet by other health care service providers. It is provided in connection with churches, schools, community centres and health centers. Education is provided in areas related to multiple health concerns including AIDS/HIV education, TB clinic, hygiene, sexual education, ante-natal care, disease prevention and safety measures.

We MMMs work with the local community to address the specific needs of the people. In many parts of the world some diseases still play a large role, different from other areas. It is possible that in the poorer slums there is no public sanitation at all and the spread of disease is a major concern. In many areas the local people may be unable to read or have access to digital technology to learn basic steps for health education or self care. MMM goes to where the people are and brings health education to them as needed.

Hospitals and Clinics

MMM serves in four geographic regions (East Africa, West Africa, the Americas and Europe). The Sisters own or manage various hospitals, health care clinics and primary care centres. The variety of health care services provided is based on the needs of the local community. Prevention of illness and disease is as important as treatment.

Specific programmes are developed to address the needs of the local people. For example, unfortunately in East and West Africa, there are many women who suffer from Obstetric Fistula (VVF and RVF). This happens with prolonged labour in childbirth. Usually these women have had no antenatal care.

Obstetric fistula causes involuntary and often painful discharge of urine or faeces into the vaginal vault. It is a preventable condition. Treatment and rehabilitation involves surgery. It also fuels efforts in antenatal and maternity services along with raising awareness.

Community Health Care Outreach

MMMs are actively engaged in the delivery of services. This includes the prevention or relief of sickness, disease or human suffering in various ways. We serve in over eleven countries. We assist with illness, diseases and social challenges unique to the specific location. We work with the local community to identify what most needs to be done. Then we build on the strengths of the existing resources. Objectives are set with goals to respond to the particular area and what impacts people there the most. In no two locations services are exactly alike. Change is always monitored and addressed.

These varied and integrated services provided in the hospitals/clinics and in outpatient delivery include but are not limited to:

• Immunisations/Vaccinations
• Antenatal & maternity care
• TB (Direct observation treatment)
• Laboratory services
• Nutrition clinics
• Rehabilitation and counseling clinics
• HIV/AIDS testing, referral and education
• Palliative care
• Counter Human trafficking services
• Pastoral care and home visits
• Hospital Chaplaincy
• Prison visits
• Counseling for Students
• Complementary Therapies
• Geriatric Care
• Gender and Race equality awareness
• Vesico Vaginal Fistula Rehabilition
• Youth Health