title: This is Heaven's waiting room: end of life in one nursing home.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to describe the end of life in one midwestern nursing home from the perspective of residents who are chronically ill and declining, their family caregivers, and staff. Qualitative methods, including formal and informal interviews, participant observation, and health record abstraction, were used to describe the end of life for 13 nursing home residents. One dominating pattern, conflict, and five themes (i.e., communication, quality of life, staff education, teamwork, work environment) emerged as factors that influenced end-of-life care. The results of this study illustrate where and how problems within the nursing home industry, the participating nursing home, and between staff and residents influence and challenge care provided to dying residents.
authors.affiliation: University of Kansas School of Nursing, Kansas City 66160-7502, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Forbes
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000523:psychology*; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000592:standards*; D006738:Hospices / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000592:standards*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D012494:Sampling Studies; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends