Terminal care : hospices

Anticipatory mourning is a phenomenon that has received limited attention. This study is a retrospective, qualitative study of caregivers' perception of this process. Twenty-two participants who had received services from Hospice were interviewed, and themes were identified that elucidate the essence of this phenomenon. Participants reveal what was helpful for them, thus providing insight into potential interventions to support care at the end of life.

Although palliative care aims to support family members and informal carers, current evidence suggests that high levels of unmet need persist, and that this population is challenging to work with. This study aimed to 1) measure the proportion of patients that have an informal carer, 2) describe the clinical notes data on existing needs and coping, 3) measure the completeness of assessment data recording, 4) appraise the utility of existing informal carers’ sections in the patient files, and 5) make recommendations for improvement. An audit was conducted reviewing 145 closed patient files.