The topic of this study, euthanasia, has become a modern-day issue that challenges some of societies traditionally held beliefs towards death and dying. This study drew upon the theoretical insights of Michel Foucault to provide a discursive analysis of the term euthanasia, and the issues surrounding the "right-to-die". It involved an analysis of primary texts from; nursing, general, and legal literature as well as the media between the years 2002-2004. Drawing upon data researched, the study analyses the main discourses regarding the practice of euthanasia for terminally ill individuals. The two competing discourses that emerged were what I have termed the sanctity-of life-discourse and the right-to-die discourse. The aim of the study was to uncover the discourses understanding of "truth" regarding the right-to-die. The analysis revealed that a small percentage of cancer sufferers (5%) die with their pain insufficiently treated and the right-to-die discourse claims that no individual should have to suffer needlessly, asserting the individuals right to autonomy. Directly opposing this is the sanctity-of life-discourse which states all life is sacred and nothing can justify euthanasia as an acceptable practice in society. My findings indicate the need for effective palliative care and pain management when caring for the terminally ill individual. The legal, ethical and moral implications of euthanasia are many and this study discusses the effects these may have on health professionals involved with the care of terminally ill patients. The study revealed an increasing deployment of the right-to-die discourse in the media and revealed concerns regarding the nursing professions lack of preparation to deal with euthanasia if it becomes a legal option in end of life care.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Univ., 2002. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2008. / Title from PDF of title page. Document formatted into pages; contains 134 pages. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Zugleich: Diss. Bielefeld, 2008. / Literaturverz.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1992.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Freiburg/Schweiz, 2005.

Syftet var att belysa hur hopp upplevs av patienter i palliativ vård. Bakgrunden uppmärksammar att ca 90 000 patienter i palliativ vård dör i Sverige varje år. Dessa patienter upplever flera dimensioner av smärta, både fysiska och psykiska. Hopp beskrivs som något som kan leda patienter mot mer positiva mål och handlingar och är därför av stor betydelse för deras välmående. Metoden för studien är en allmän litteraturstudie baserad på kvalitativ forskning. Analysen är utförd med en induktiv ansats. Utefter likheter som identifierades fastställdes 17 subkategorier, sex kategorier och två övergripande teman. Resultatet belyser hur hopp uttrycks hos patienter i palliativ vård. Oförändrat hopp, omvandlande hopp, strategiskt hopp, övervinnande hopp ochvardagsnära hopp var kategorier som framkom som hoppingivande. I kontrast till hoppet fanns där också en hopplöshet. Hopplösheten identifieras som ett hinder för hopp vilket ökade passiviteten och känslan av hjälplöshet. Konklusion av studien är att upplevelsen av hopp uttrycks på olika sätt genom vårdförloppet. Det finns flera kategorier som är återkommande i tidigare forskning. De flesta fynden identifieras som hoppingivande och visade sig ge ökad livskvalitet för patienter. Emellertid, så saknas det forskning kring hur patienter ville bli bemötta i sitt hopp. / The aim of this study was to highlight how hope is experienced by patients in a palliative care context. The background notes that about 90 000 palliative patients die in Sweden each year. The patients in palliative care experience several dimensions of pain, both physical and psychological. Hope is described as something that can lead patients towards more positive goals and actions and is therefore of great importance for their wellbeing. The method of this study is a general literature study based on qualitative research. The analysis is performed with an inductive approach. Following similarities identified 17 subcategories, six categories and two overall themes that where established. The result illustrates how hope is expressed in palliative care patients. Unchanged hope, transformational hope, strategic hope, overcoming hope and everyday hope were categories that emerged as hopeful. In contrast to the hope there were also a hopelessness. The hopelessness was identified as an obstacle to hope which increased passivity and the feeling of helplessness. The conclusion of this study is that the experience of hope is expressed in different ways through the care process. There are several categories that are recurring in earlier research. Most discoveries are identified as hopeful and proved to increase the quality of life for patients in the palliative care context. However, there is no research about how patients would like to be treated regarding their hope.

The goal of my thesis I have chosen is to identify the way hospice care is perceived in the Telč region by family members of terminally ill patients. I based my thesis on available specialised literature, current legislation and internet sources dealing with home hospice care. In the first theoretical part, I deal with the definition of hospice care trying to explain the term of general and specialised care that have a common objective, namely dignified and tranquil dying. The second section deals with family in the context of palliative care that plays the key role in the patient care. If the family decides to care for the incurable patient at home, it is vital to support it. Moreover, in this section I define needs of family members summarised in three core topics. Including the care for the patient family that I included to the hospice care as not only the patient suffers from the illness but all his/her family does. That means that each family member needs palliative care. The end of this section deals with mourning of the survivors. The core point is not leaving them alone in their mourning, to have them accompanied by someone in their grief. The third chapter focuses on the role and position of the patient. It changes when a seriously ill human becomes dependent on third party´s help losing his/her capacity to fulfil his/her professional and family role. This enormously affects his/her physical and emotional condition. Moreover, I describe needs on terminally ill people that change when the patient approaches his/her death depending on his/her family and social situation. It changes also during his/her adaptation to adverse diagnoses and forecast and emergence of difficulties and complications. I describe four groups of needs: biological, psychological, social and spiritual. The fourth chapter characterises home hospice care that is described as specialised palliative care provided in the home environment amidst patient´s family and friends. I describe the history of Czech hospice care stating that before the WWII it was quite normal to care for terminally ill patients at home till the end. This trend emerges again in the 90s. I define objectives of the home hospice care and related activities. The fourth chapter includes the description of a multi-disciplinary team and funding of home hospice care. In the fifth chapter, I characterise the home care organisation that try to expand the range of services by including the home palliative care and also deal with the home care history, objectives, delimitation of the scope of activities, agency human resources management and home funding methods. In the sixth chapter, I represent the organisation Sdílení, o.p.s. Telč, services provided by it and basic duties according to the Act No.108/2006 Coll. as well as the mission and objectives of this organisation concentrating on help and support of seriously ill people and their family members/friends in such difficult life situation. The key objective of Sdílení is to preserve maximum possible self-sufficiency and dignity of seriously ill people and support of families that are able to find the courage and force to accompany a terminally ill family member to the end of his/her life. In the practical part of my thesis, I analyse data collected by means of qualitative research based on an inquiry in the form of semi-standardised and open-code processing. Who was included to the basic file were family members of terminally ill patients who were divided to two parts. The first group consists of 3 respondents who were entrusted to the care of the home hospice Sdílení. The second group are 3 respondents entrusted to the Home Care hospice. In the practical part, I describe the process of collection of data, record results of the interview process by the open-code method.

The diploma thesis titled Euthanasia in the film an analysis of selected pieces, is divided into theoretical and practical parts. I devoted to a description of a current state of euthanasia in the theoretical part. First I focused on definitions of euthanasia, assisted suicide etc. A chapter is also devoted to a history of euthanasia. I wanted to highlight the fact, that euthanasia is not only a problem of the modern society, but beginnings of a discussion about euthanasia we could find already in the ancient world. Through the concept of euthanasia in the Middle Ages and modern times I got up to the World War II, which is in my opinion an important milestone in the history of euthanasia, because at that time euthanasia was perceived as a tool for a disposal of persons who, in the context of its time, seemed to be undesirable. Among such people there were classified for example people so called racially unsuitable, weak and sick. Because there are legally different views of euthanasia, in chapters I mention the fact how euthanasia is perceived in the world. In terms of acceptance of euthanasia and assisted suicide I particularly emphasize the Netherlands and Switzerland. One chapter I also dedicate to euthanasia in the Czech Republic. It includes a description of the discussion and arguments for and against euthanasia. One more separate chapter I devoted to questions whether to legalize or not to legalize euthanasia. I found out that a discussion on this topic is very extensive and here could be applied the rule that each man has his own opinion. It turned out that even experts in one area, doctors of philosophers, are not unanimous in the issue of euthanasia and its pros and cons are from both sides argued with plenty of arguments that are worth thinking about. A separate chapter I devoted to a man, who I consider to be the main promoter of euthanasia and assisted suicide and if you pronounce his name, people would link him with that theme. This is Dr. Jack Kevorkian, nicknamed Dr. Death. Jack Kevorkian, who understood his acts as medical services for terminally ill people, helped with the voluntary termination of life to several hundred of people. Although he had written certain "rules" about the situations when he can people "help" to solve their suffering and pain, it turned out that those people in many cases had no anatomical evidence of disease in their body. Jack Kevorkian has had and even currently has many supporters and opponents. In case of Jack Kevorkian there are arguments for and against euthanasia as in the whole debate about it. The aim of the study was to analyse how the topic of euthanasia has been reflected in the film production. At the beginning of the research I have asked this research question: Which are usual attitudes to euthanasia reflected in filmmaking? In order to find out the given objective and to answer the research question I chose a qualitative research based on the method of disinterested observation of six selected movie titles. Titles in their alphabetical order were following: Doktor smrt (You Don´t Know Jack, USA, 2010, 134 min), Hlas moře (Mar adentro, Španělsko/Francie/Itálie, 2004, 125 min), Hodinu nevíš, Česko, 2009, 94 min), Invaze barbarů (Invasion barbares, Kanada/Fancie, 2003, 99 min), Millon Dollar Baby, (USA, 2004, 132 min) a Skafandr a motýl (Le Scaphandre et le papillon, Francie/USA, 2007, 107 min).

Inledning: Psykoterapi och psykoanalys är påfallande frånvarande i studier när det gäller palliativ vård och död. Syftet med denna undersökning är att undersöka hur psykoterapeuter arbetar i terapi med döende patienter. Frågeställning: Hur arbetar psykoterapeuter med psykodynamisk inriktning med döden i terapirummet? Metod: Studien baseras på halvstrukturerade intervjuer med fem legitimerade psykoterapeuter med psykodynamisk inriktning med erfarenhet av terapi med döende patienter. Materialet analyserades med hjälp av tematisk analys. Resultat: Resultatet beskriver psykoterapeuters arbete med döende patienter. Fyra teman framträder. Det första belyser att döden är ramen i terapin. Det andra visar på den livsviktiga alliansen. Det tredje beskriver närmare den terapeutiska praktiken och innehållet i terapin. Det fjärde beskriver de särskilda utmaningar som terapeuten möter i terapi med döende patienter. Diskussion: I studien framkommer att döden återverkar på hela terapiförloppet. Döden blir ramen i terapi med döende patienter. När det gäller alliansen ser den ut att komma snabbare i terapier med döende patienter. Själva innehållet i terapin blir också något annorlunda, det blir ett annat fokus. Livsfrågor får ett stort utrymme. Många starka känslor väcks i terapin, såväl hos patient som hos terapeut. Teoribildningens betydelse betonas för att kunna förstå dessa känslor i termer av överföring/motöverföring och projektion/identifikation. Bland det mest utmanande i terapier med döende patienter är de starka känslor som väcks hos terapeuten. Studiens resultat är i linje med tidigare forskning som främst består av kliniska rapporter. / Introduction: Psychotherapy and psychoanalysis are strikingly absent in studies of palliative care and death. The purpose of this study is to explore how psychotherapists work in therapy with dying patients. Research question: How do psychotherapists with psychodynamic orientation work with death in the therapy room? Method: The study is based on semi-structured interviews with five licensed psychotherapists with psychodynamic orientation and with experience of therapy with dying patients. The material was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The result describes psychotherapists' work with dying patients. Four themes emerge. The first theme is that death becomes the framework of the therapy. The second theme shows the vital alliance. The third theme describes the therapeutic practice and the content of the therapy. The fourth theme describes the specific challenges that the therapist faces in therapy with dying patients. Discussion: The study reveals that death affects the entire therapy. Death becomes the framework in therapy with dying patients. Alliance seems to come faster in therapies with dying patients. The content of the therapy will have a different focus. Life issues are given a lot of space. Many strong feelings are aroused in the therapy, both in the patient and in the therapist. The importance of theory formation is emphasized in order to understand these feelings in terms of transference/countertransference and projection/identification. The strong feelings aroused by the therapist is among the most challenging issues in therapies with dying patients. The results of the study are in line with previous research, which mainly consists of clinical reports.