[There is no natural death without suffering, even in a nursing home]

(Geen natuurlijk overlijden zonder lijden, ook in het verpleeghuis.)

Full Abstract

During the past 30 years, the legal and moral framework for terminal care and hospice provision has changed, both nationally and internationally, but the situation is still not completely clear. The nursing homes in the Netherlands have also developed, described and implemented palliative care. In most regional systems for palliative care, a supportive and sometimes an active therapeutic role is played by medical, nursing, paramedical and pastoral nursing home professionals. In view of the strong relationship between a poor or worsening nutritional state and fluid balance and death, particularly of psychogeriatric nursing-home patients, a multiprofessional guideline has been drawn up for the responsible provision of food and fluids in nursing homes. It is likely, although not certain, that this guideline will contribute to the limitation of the suffering of the dying patient. The guideline will in any case make the compassion of the family and the sympathy of care-givers discussible and almost always manageable. In many nursing homes, meanwhile, it has become accepted practice, soon after admission, to discuss the future suffering of the patient during the process of dying and to record this conversation.

Author information

Author/s: Cools, H J M (HJ); van Balen, R (R);

Affiliation: Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum, afd. Huisartsgeneeskunde en Verpleeghuisgeneeskunde, Postbus 9600, 2300 RC Leiden. h.j.m.cools(-atsign-)lumc.nl

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comment; English Abstract; Journal Article

Journal: Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde (Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd), published in Netherlands. (Language: dut)

Reference: 2006-Feb; vol 150 (issue 5) : pp 230-2

Dates: Created 2006/02/23; Completed 2006/03/16; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 16493985, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentOn: Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2006 Feb 4;150(5):243-8. (PMID: 16493989)

CommentOn: Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2006 Feb 4;150(5):249-54. (PMID: 16493990)

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