The American journal of hospice & palliative care
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Mar 2002
Qualitative findings on the experience of end-of-life care for hematological malignancies.
There is a loud silence in the literature on the issues related to palliative care for hematological malignancies. This article presents information that begins to address that silence. ⋯ The findings presented in this article demonstrates that families are enduring considerable hardship and are left with much emotional pain and many unresolved issues when such care is not offered. It is hoped that the findings presented in this article will be used for developing effective strategies to ensure that patients with hematological malignancies and their families, no less than any others, can be afforded the dignity and respect that the appropriate provision of palliative services ensures.
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This paper discusses how hospice social workers assist patients and families in finding new hope and meaning in their lives as care goals turn from cure to comfort. Assessment factors important to the redefinition process and intervention strategies are explored. Hope is defined as the positive expectation for meaning attached to life events with the emphasis on meaning instead of life events. The author seeks to demonstrate the importance of meaning to the feeling of hope and the possibility of socially constructing meaning to alleviate the traditional medical perspective that hope revolves around the outcome of disease.