Family member involvement in hastened death.
When patients pursue a hastened death, how is the labor of family care-giving affected? The authors examined this question in a qualitative study of 35 families. Four cases reveal the main themes: "taking care" included mutual protection between patients and family members; "midwifing the death" without professional support left families unprepared for adverse events; "tying up loose ends" included dealing with family members' fear of legal consequences; and "moving ahead" involved a greater risk of complicated grief when families encountered complications during the dying process. These results highlight the positive and negative consequences of family members' participation in a hastened death.
Starks
Helene
H
Department of Medical History and Ethics, University of Washington, Box 357120, Seattle, WA 98195-7240, USA. tigiba@u.washington.edu
Back
Anthony L
AL
Pearlman
Robert A
RA
Koenig
Barbara A
BA
Hsu
Clarissa
C
Gordon
Judith R
JR
Bharucha
Ashok J
AJ
D028601:Euthanasia, Active / Q000523:psychology; D005066:Euthanasia, Passive / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations; D006801:Humans; D017236:Suicide, Assisted / Q000523:psychology; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States