Social death in seniors

Abstract

Dying and death are parts of the life and are unique and personal to everyone. People are afraid of death, often due the fear of the unknown, suffering and loss of the quality of life. Death as such is affecting seniors most, which is, of course; relating to the life cycle. With ageing people are clearly aware of the irreversibility of this cycle and especially in cases, when decreasing of quality of their lives is linked with hospitalization or other forms of social care, which are requiring them to leave their home and social environment. Palliative care is applied in the terminal stages of the disease in present time and the process of dying is an integral part of nursing care. Seniors assess life via the quality of life. This quality of life is judged on its own values, which are in different order for everyone: health, social networking, free time activities or financial situation. Hospitalization of the senior often leads to social isolation, which in many cases ends with social death, and it usually comes much earlier than biological death. The aim of the paper is to draw the attention of the professional and general public to the phenomenon of social isolation and social death of seniors, which in our society, and not only in Slovakia, is beginning to emerge as a more and more current issue.