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Family stories of end-of-life cancer care when unable to fulfill a loved one's wish to die at home

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 March 2014

Karen Seal ,
Craig D. Murray  and
Lesley Seddon
Karen Seal
Affiliation:
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Preston, United Kingdom
Craig D. Murray*
Affiliation:
School of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
Lesley Seddon
Affiliation:
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Preston, United Kingdom
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Craig D. Murray, School of Health and Medicine, Furness Building, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YT, United Kingdom. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective:

Control over place of death is deemed important, not only in providing a “good death,” but also in offering person-centered palliative care. Despite the wish to die at home being endorsed by many, few achieve it. The present study aimed to explore the reasons why this wish is not fulfilled by examining the stories of ten individuals who lost a loved one to cancer.

Method:

We adopted a narrative approach, with stories synthesized to create one metastory depicting plot similarities and differences.

Results:

Stories were divided into four chapters: (1) the cancer diagnosis, (2) the terminal stage and advancement of death, (3) death itself, and (4) reflections on the whole experience. Additionally, several reasons for cessation of home care were uncovered, including the need to consider children's welfare, exhaustion, and admission of the loved one by professionals due to a medical emergency. Some participants described adverse effects as a result of being unable to continue to support their loved one's wish to remain at home.

Significance of Results:

Reflections upon the accounts are provided with a discussion around potential clinical implications.

Keywords

CancerCarerCopingBereavementHome deathPalliative care
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , June 2015 , pp. 473 - 483
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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