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Quality of Life in the Process of Dying

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Quality of Life and Person-Centered Care for Older People

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Abstract

The process of dying is the final crisis in human life. Older persons can die in different places: at home, in a hospital, a long-term care facility, or in a hospice. Although the environment influences the process of dying, the basic experience is the same: life irrevocably ends and its meaning is called into question by death. Furthermore, possibilities of life prolongation force older persons to decide about their end-of-life care and to think about death in advance. This chapter summarizes the findings of 93 qualitative studies that explored older persons’ experiences with advance care planning and their process of dying. Quality of life in the process of dying will depend on how older persons are able to cope with this final crisis. They may die with inner peace and serenity if they find an appropriate balance between an attachment to and a detachment from life, between denial and awareness of impending death, and between scepticism and hope. Nurses and caregivers can accompany them in this process by attentive listening which allows the dying persons to communicate their final needs.

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    Thomas Boggatz

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Boggatz, T. (2020). Quality of Life in the Process of Dying. In: Quality of Life and Person-Centered Care for Older People. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29990-3_6

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