Abstract

LEVISKI, Bárbara Luckow  and  LANGARO, Fabíola. A human look about the life: awareness of finitude. Rev. SBPH [online]. 2014, vol.17, n.1, pp. 49-69. ISSN 1516-0858.

Talking about death tends to be distressing, since it provides the awareness of finitude. The approach of palliative care appears to prioritize the prevention and relief of physical, psychosocial and spiritual symptoms in diseases that threaten the continuity of life. Tried to understand the experience of patients and / or family / caregivers in the illness and death. Clinic interview was used, enabling the data content analysis. Performed in a general hospital in southern Brazil with nine terminally ill patients in two groups: 1) Six attended by the palliative care team, 2) three control group of patients indicated for this care approach, but by patient or family choice remained under curative treatment. The interviews analysis resulted in three category: decision making, communication and feelings in sicken experience. Palliative care contributed in the quality of life and death. But the receiving to patients and families is still insuficient, involving difficulties as lack of preparation of assistance teams, family denial about the clinical manifestations, insufficient contact between patient and family and the influence of culture on the concept of death.

Keywords : palliative care; terminality; health psychology.

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