Abstract
The objective of this study was to consider the social representations of death of family caregivers in a palliative care context. The authors focused on the analysis of 23 interviews with family caregivers who cared for a terminally ill person at home and/or in a specialized palliative care unit, in Québec, Canada. The finding showed that family caregivers had different images that specifically represented death: (a) losses as different kinds of “deaths,” (b) palliative care as a place to negotiate with death, and (c) last times as confirmation of the end. These images highlight the meaning attributed to the body and the position of the dying person in our Western society. Representations of palliative care reveal a kind of paradox, a place of respect and of “gentle death,” and a place where death is almost too omnipresent. They also show the strong beliefs surrounding the use of painkillers at the end of life. Finally, these images refer to end-of-life personal rituals viewed as support for the passage into a new state of being. This study provides a better understanding of the common sense of death for family caregivers in a palliative care context and of the meanings of this emotional subject.
Highlights
In modern Western society, people’s feelings about death are complex
The images are personal, but together, they reveal a common sense of death in the palliative care context
We grouped the images into three separate categories: (a) losses as different kinds of “deaths,” (b) palliative care unit as a place to negotiate with death, and (c) last times as confirmation of the end
Summary
In modern Western society, people’s feelings about death are complex. In 1915, Freud said that nobody believes in their own death and human beings avoid broaching the subject with someone nearing death. According to Ariès (1975), from the Middle Ages to the first half of the 19th century, people were on more familiar terms with death and dying. There is an urgent desire to defeat death and disease, which is thought to be evidence of the failure of Western medicine to maintain youth and health (Clavandier, 2009; Hintermeyer, 2010). These changes are evident in the process of dying.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
