Journal of palliative medicine
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Dignity Therapy is a brief psychotherapy performed with patients at the end of life. Previous research has examined the effects of Dignity Therapy with patients and family, but none has examined hospice staff perceptions of the treatment. ⋯ Hospice staff believe Dignity Therapy is a worthwhile service that offers a positive, quality-enhancing experience for patients at the end of life. The addition of this clinical service may further enhance staff members' job satisfaction and connection with patients. These findings provide useful information for clinicians or organizational leaders who consider offering Dignity Therapy in their setting.
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Research addressing the burden, assessment, and management of nonpain symptoms associated with advanced illness in older adults is limited. While nonpain symptoms such as fatigue, sleep, dyspnea, anxiety, depression, cognitive impairment, nausea, and anorexia-cachexia are commonly noted by patients and clinicians, research quantifying their effects on quality of life, function, and other outcomes are lacking and there is scant evidence regarding management. ⋯ Assessment and treatment of nonpain symptoms in older adults with serious illness and multiple comorbidities is compromised by the lack of data relevant to their care. Recommended research priorities address the documented high prevalence of distressing symptoms in older adults with serious illness, the unique needs of this population due to coexistence of multiple chronic conditions along with physiologic changes related to aging, the lack of evidence for effective pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions, and the need for validated measures that are relevant across multiple care settings.
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Even though cancer is the second most common cause of death, little is known about the extent to which family caregivers find meaning and benefit in the loss, and associated demographic characteristics and caregiving experiences. This study addressed this gap in our knowledge. ⋯ Findings suggest that bereavement programs designed to help bereaved caregivers find meaning in the loss should be personalized reflecting individual differences in caregiving stress and caregiver esteem. Such programs should also be tailored differently for spousal versus nonspousal caregivers.
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Spanish cultural perception of end-of-life decision making has started to change within a new legal framework. ⋯ Compared to prior studies, shared end-of-life decision making in the ICU has increased in recent years. Decisions to forgo treatments mainly involve advanced life support.
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Informal care provided by family members is an essential feature of health care systems worldwide. Although caregiving often begins early in the disease process, over time informal caregivers must deal with chronic, debilitating, and life-threatening illnesses. Despite thousands of published studies on informal care, little is known about the intersection of informal caregiving and formal palliative care. ⋯ Inasmuch as most caregivers must deal with chronic, debilitating, and often life-threatening conditions, it is essential that we advance a research agenda that addresses the interplay between informal care and formal palliative care.