THE DIGNIFIED DYING APPROACH
"How people die remains in the memory of those who live on"
Dame Cicely Saunders founder of the modern Hospice
The National End of Life Care Strategy states that, for many, a "good death", involves:
Being treated as an individual, with dignity and respect.
Being without pain and other symtoms.
Being in familiar surroundings.
Being in the company of close family and or friends.
From surveys of the general public, it has been found that given the opportunity and right support, most people would prefer to die at home. In practice only a minority manage to do so. Many pleple die in an acute hospital, which is not their preferrred place of care. The following key elements are suggested in the National Strategy:
Discussions as the end of life approaches.
Assessment, care planning and review.
Coordination of care for individual patients.
Delivery of high quality services in different settings.
Care in the last days of life.
Care after death.
From observing how we once lived and died many years ago, we can see that how we deal with death and dying as a nation has changed a great deal. Only a hundred years ago, we saw people dying much younger than we do today, and the causes of death were very varied. Usually when people did die they were often nursed at home by relatives. The community spirit was much stronger then, everyone knew what was going on in the street, and often rallied to help.
Death is something we have become unacustomed to dealing with now, simply because it has become so removed from the family, the home, the community. Our neighbours may be strangers who we never see let a lone know if they are ill or dying. We have forgotten how to face death, death has become the latest taboo. By increasing public awareness and discussion of death and dying it will be easier for individuals to discuss their own preferences around their end of life care. This will also help ensure that those that are approaching their end of life, will have access to nursing, psychological, social and spiritual care according to their wishes.
If you would like more information about the training in your work environment, please feel free to call or email for more details.