Hva er en god død i sykehjem?

Abstract

About 40 percent of all deaths in Norway take place in nursing homes. The proportion will probably increase, and a majority will need end-of-life care/ palliative care in the final days or weeks of their life. In Norway we know little about what constitutes a good death in nursing homes and how end-of-life care is practised. The project aimed at exploring what professionals working face-to-face with dying elderly persons defined as a good death and the necessary preconditions. A strategic sample of 14 professionals, working in five nursing homes in four different health regions, was interviewed. The interviews focused on the informants’ working experience with dying nursing homes patients. Four main topics were emphasized: adequate pain and other symptom relief, not to be alone in the final days and hours, taking care of relatives and preventing unnecessary lifeprolonging treatment. Paying respect to the patient and her/ his relatives was considered an essential prerequisite to attain a good and dignified death. Other conditions that have to be fulfilled were adequate routines of observation