Post-Conference Perspectives and Updates in Neuropalliative Care: Benzi Kluger, MD, MS

WATCH TIME: 6 minutes

"For this meeting, the theme this year was on building community and breaking barriers. Bringing everyone together who cares about people with neurologic illness and to find better ways to care for them."

Palliative care, traditionally used within the oncology fields, is a specialized form of care that’s focused on providing relief from symptoms and stress of the illness. The main goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family, and is typically performed by a specially-trained team of doctors, nurses, and other specialists. Neuropalliative care has become an emerging subspecialty in neurology and palliative care, mainly assisting those with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), among others.

The International Neuropalliative Care Society (INPCS), an organization dedicated to growing this specific field, recently held its second annual meeting in a virtual platform from November 10 to 12. The theme of the conference was on building community and breaking barriers, which was further expressed in several sessions and presentations. INPCS believes the optimal growth comes of this field will be interdisciplinary, international, person-centered, and equally embracing of specialty and primary neuropalliative care.

Following the conference, NeurologyLive® sat down with Benzi Kluger, MD, MS, president of INPCS, to get a better understanding of the notable research being presented. Kluger, who also serves as a professor of neurology at the University of Rochester, provided perspective on the significance of neuropalliative care, as well as highlighted specific presentations and topics that are pertinent to the growth of this field.