The aim of the “International Conference on Long-Term Care and Palliative Medicine” 29-30 October, Hisariya, Bulgaria was to raise awareness and understanding of the problems of patients in need of long-term and palliative care and their families; To focus not only on the medical but also on the non-medical aspects of these problems, and to bring together specialists from different medical and non-medical fields from Bulgaria, USA, Japan, Israel, Turkey, Britain, Macedonia, Greece and other countries.
Several effective approaches and methods to overcome the suffering and improve the socialization of this underprivileged group of patients have remained unknown in Bulgaria. Art as art-therapy, music therapy, accessible environment, healthy urban environment, training and involving volunteers in the care f0r these patients and their families provide complementary methods to alleviate symptoms and contribute to better self-esteem and quality of life.
The multidisciplinary approach also contributes towards a broader understanding of the need for comprehensive care for these patients and their families.