Main description:

Focussing on end-of-life care for people who use, or have used, substances, this book explores their social and health care needs and the multiple disadvantages they have often experienced, discussing the complexities around access to care that result.

Presenting models of good practice, case studies and empirically based evidence, Substance Use, End-of-Life Care is informative, rigorous and useful for policy and practice development. The first section foregrounds the personal experiences of people living with substance use, their families and friends, and the health and social care professionals who work with them. The second section looks at how health inequalities can impact people in need of palliative care, including chapters on health literacy, mental health and learning disabilities. The final section explores social challenges that may be experienced, including homelessness, sex work, racism and incarceration.

This interdisciplinary volume is essential for researchers, practitioners, students and educators working around substance use, mental health and palliative and end-of-life care, who are looking for guidance and a reference for their work in supporting people at the end of their lives who have multiple and often complex needs.

Contents:

1.Introduction. Part I: Different voices (Introduction by Gary Witham). 2.Death is not an abstract now: approaching end of life as someone using substances. 3.Views from the coalface: social and health care professionals working with people using substances at, or near, the end of their lives. 4.Seeing the common ground: family and practitioner caregivers' perspectives of palliative care for people using substances. Part II: Health inequalities (Introduction by Sam Wright). 5.Health literacy and substance use within palliative and end-of-life care. 6.Learning disabilities and substance use at the end of life: listening to the unheard. 7.Improving end-of-life care for people with co-existing mental health and substance use. 8.Ageing (dis)gracefully: People who inject drugs living with hepatitis C and the provision of end-of-life care. Part III: Social inequalities (Introduction by Sarah Galvani). 9.Homelessness and substance use within palliative and end-of-life care. 10 - Jane's journey: substance use, palliative care and sex work. 11.Reflecting on the challenges and inequalities facing Black and minoritized communities in accessing substance use services, palliative and end-of-life care. 12.Unequal in life and death: substance use, disadvantage and end-of-life care in prison. 13.Reflections and recommendations: multiple disadvantage, substance use and end-of-life care.