title: Essence of caring for a person dying.
abstract: The present paper aims to illustrate the essence of caring through the philosophical lens of palliative care gained from one family's experience within a home environment. The narrative used provided a vehicle through which a family member recalled the experience of caring for her mother, who was dying. The essence of caring is portrayed by the use of exemplars gained from the narrative situated within a palliative context depicting both the person dying and the carer's perspective. The narrative offers the opportunity to better understand cultural knowledge, history and social practices from the perspective of the family unit, and to understand how families might be best supported by health professionals engaged in care delivery. The commitment demonstrated by family members in caring for a family member dying is significant and needs to be more valued as a contribution to our understanding of this life event. From the analysis of this family's experience, health professionals are afforded an insight into the diversity of needs that encompass the essence of care being provided in the home. This opportunity allows health professionals to gain further insight into this significant life event, leading to an enhancement of their practice and enabling them to be better equipped to meet the individual needs of family units.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Family and Community Health, Hawkesbury Campus, Building G10, University of Western Sydney, PO Box 1797, Penrith DC, New South Wales 1797, Australia. amanda.johnson@uws.ewdu.au
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bourgeois
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D004645:Empathy; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing; D011368:Professional-Family Relations