Georg Bollig

By Georg Bollig

This chapter is about palliative care education for everybody including both professional health care workers and all citizens. A six-step approach to life-long palliative care education (as first described by Bollig in 2008 and published as a conference poster in 2009 and a book in German in 2010) will be proposed and discussed. The chapter will summarize the public knowledge approach to palliative care implementation (Bollig 2008) and other strategies to educate the public about palliative care. The concept of Last Aid courses for citizens will be introduced, and international experiences with this concept will be discussed. A possible combination of Last Aid courses and the compassionate community approach might improve palliative care provision in the community.

Part of the book: Palliative Care

By Georg Bollig

McArdle disease (glycogen storage disease type V) is an inborn error of energy metabolism in the muscle. The effects of McArdle disease on physical performance have similarities with the metabolic state of marathon runners after glycogen depletion and can therefore be seen as a nature’s experiment in the field of sports medicine. Many patients with McArdle disease avoid sports in general because physical activity usually leads to muscle pain and muscle cramps. Often patients therefore regard physical activity as both painful and possibly dangerous. This chapter is about the advantages and possible risks of sports for patients with McArdle disease. The scientific literature will be discussed highlighting both endurance and muscle strength exercise. It will discuss the differences of aerobic and anaerobic exercise in individuals suffering from McArdle disease. Complications as rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinuria, kidney failure, and malignant hyperthermia will be discussed. The chapter will summarize the current knowledge about the possible dangers versus possible benefits of sports for patients with McArdle disease. A summary of recommendations for physical exercise and training for McArdle patients will be provided.

Part of the book: Cellular Metabolism and Related Disorders

By Georg Bollig, Siobhan Neylon, Eva Niedermann and Erika Zelko

This chapter provides an overview over the Last Aid Course (LAC) as measure for Public Palliative Care Education (PPCE) and the experiences from different countries on the implementation of Last Aid Courses. The concept of Last Aid and the public knowledge approach to teach Palliative Care for the public were first described by Bollig in 2008. Last Aid Courses can be seen as educational basis of compassionate communities and have now been spread to 21 countries worldwide. Experiences show differences and similarities in the national implementation process of LAC in four different countries.

Part of the book: Palliative Care [Working title]