title: Communicating at life's end.
abstract: With more and more people choosing to die at home, palliative care is an increasingly important field. The challenge for those of us working in the field is to develop a comprehensive system of care that will provide high quality, in-home support. Such support involves a large network of formal and informal caregivers--family members, caregiving friends, homemakers and a variety of health care providers--who collaborate together and with the individual to provide holistic care. Thus, co-ordination, collaboration and communication are essential if this network is to meet the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the dying and their families.
authors.affiliation: Northwestern Ontario Regional Cancer Centre.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Linkewich
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Setliff
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Poling
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sellick
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Kelley
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003142:Communication; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009737:Nursing Records / Q000592:standards*; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000592:standards*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*