Spiritual care is considered to be an important aspect of palliative care however; there has been much debate about the definition of spirituality. In this study a broad definition of spirituality has been utilized. Spiritual needs of palliative patients have been identified. Although evidence relating to bereavement outcomes supports the concept of working with family groups in the provision of holistic palliative care, only one family focused model of spiritual care was identified in the literature and no assessment of the efficacy of this model was found. The needs of staff in the provision of spiritual care have also been found to be important. The objectives of this study were to implement a family meeting model of care to assess it’s efficacy as an instrument for the provision of spiritual care from the perspective of palliative patients, family members and palliative care staff and to consider implications, if any for the inclusion of this model of care in the regular palliative care service. This qualitative study was informed by interpretivism and hermeneutic phenomenology. Ricoeur’s Theory of Interpretation was utilized in the interpretation of data. Participants were recruited through two metropolitan palliative care services. Twelve family meetings were facilitated by the researcher. Subsequently forty-seven patients and family members individually participated in in-depth interviews in which they described their experience of the family meeting and any outcomes they had observed. Fourteen staff members participated each in a semi-structured interview in which they described observed outcomes of the family meeting, their process of recruiting patient participants for the study and insights about the suitability of this intervention for regular palliative care services. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed utilizing Ricoeur’s Theory of Interpretation and with the assistance of qualitative data management software. The most commonly identified outcomes for patient and family member participants were: experience of increased openness of communication, positive and constructive feelings and emotions, gaining new understandings and strengthening or renewal of significant relationships. Their experience of the meeting facilitation was generally positive. These outcomes suggest that spiritual care was provided that had not been made available to these people in the current system. Staff reported positive outcomes for patient and family member participants and considered that this type of intervention would meet a need within the palliative care service. Barriers to implementation such as funding priorities, staff numbers and time were identified. This original study has added to our understanding of the value of working with family units in the provision of spiritual care in palliative care services. Further research such as the application of this intervention to larger and less homogenous populations, the evaluation of long term benefits to family members and ways of identifying families most in need of this intervention are needed. The inclusion of this intervention in regular palliative care service would have implications for staff training and support. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1345430 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Population Health and Clinical Practice, 2008

Bibliography: leaves 252-270. / 275 leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Events of sadness from their daily routine are described by sixteen participants and retold as stories. Inspired by philosophical and methodological ideology situated firmly within the interpretive paradigm, an analysis of these stories is undertaken using an interpretive, hermeneutical lens. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Clinical Nursing, 1999

Thesis (MD (Doctor of Medicine))--Flinders University, School of Medicine, Dept. of Palliative and Supportive Care. / Typescript bound. Includes bibliographical references: (leaves 147-177) Also available online.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Georgetown University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Sydney, 2008. / A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the College of Health and Science, School of Nursing, University of Western Sydney. Includes bibliography.

South African palliative care volunteer caregivers play a crucial role in caring for people living with HIV and Aids, but frequently do not receive the support and respect that they deserve. The current study explored the psychosocial challenges and coping mechanisms of palliative care volunteer caregivers for people living with HIV and Aids. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 24 participants who also filled in questionnaires. The aim was to explore their experiences, their challenges, and coping mechanisms. Although these volunteer caregivers shared many positive experiences, they also faced multiple challenges in the workplace, their personal lives, financial challenges as well as psychological and emotional ones. Despite these challenges, the caregivers showed only moderate levels of stress on the stress scale. Recommendations for overcoming these challenges were provided to caregivers, organisations and the Department of Health / Psychology / M. Sc. (Psychology)

This multi-sited ethnography focuses on beliefs and practices associated with death, dying, and palliative care among the Low German-Speaking (LGS) Mennonites. The qualitative data, collected through participant-observation fieldwork and interviews conducted in three LGS Mennonite communities in Mexico and Canada, show a gap between official definitions of palliative care and its practice in real life. The LGS Mennonites’ care for their dying members, in reality, is integrated into their community lives that emphasize or reinforce discipleship by promoting the practices of mutual aid, social networks, and brotherhood/sisterhood among community members. This study also offers ethnographic insights into some difficulties that healthcare providers face while delivering the “holistic” palliative care services to their patients in general, and to the LGS Mennonites in particular. Finally, it provides some suggestions that may aid healthcare providers in developing culturally safe and competent health care services for the LGS Mennonite people living in Canada. / xi, 231 leaves ; 29 cm

South African palliative care volunteer caregivers play a crucial role in caring for people living with HIV and Aids, but frequently do not receive the support and respect that they deserve. The current study explored the psychosocial challenges and coping mechanisms of palliative care volunteer caregivers for people living with HIV and Aids. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 24 participants who also filled in questionnaires. The aim was to explore their experiences, their challenges, and coping mechanisms. Although these volunteer caregivers shared many positive experiences, they also faced multiple challenges in the workplace, their personal lives, financial challenges as well as psychological and emotional ones. Despite these challenges, the caregivers showed only moderate levels of stress on the stress scale. Recommendations for overcoming these challenges were provided to caregivers, organisations and the Department of Health / Psychology / M. Sc. (Psychology)

The impression existed that nurses were not always compassionate and caring when they had to nurse terminally ill patients and the question arose whether they were adequately trained for this task. This study focused on the most frequent diseases that cause the death of patients in a province of Angola, and set out to determine what preparation nurses in a specific hospital received to equip them to care for terminally ill patients. A quantitative approach was adopted, using an exploratory and descriptive design, and a self-developed questionnaire was applied as data-collection instrument for a sample of 100 medium- and basic level nurses in a specific hospital in a province of Angola. From the results of the study it was evident that the nurse respondents were well informed as to what it entailed to be terminally ill, which factors affected the patient's comfort, safety and self image needs but only half of the respondents indicated that they received training pertaining to palliative care. Recommendations were made in view of better preparing nurses to care for the terminally ill patient. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The study sought to research and develops a universal palliative care measurement tool that will track the performance of informal caregivers to dying persons across the diversity of the South African cultural and religious groupings. The major inferences drawn from this study was that a generic domain, sub-items and intervals could be identified for palliative care; that a reliable measurement tool could be developed and that outcomes of care programs for dying persons in terms of effectiveness and efficiency could be numerically quantified. With the ability to measure now been realised, the ability to manage the outcomes became the new challenge. / Nursing Sciences / M.A. (Health Studies)