[Enhancement of hospice philosophy and palliative care competence in nursing homes for seniors through cooperation with an outpatient hospice care service : A practical example].

BACKGROUND: The aim of palliative care is to help people with a progressive, probably fatal disease to achieve the highest possible quality of life. Any treatment is radically oriented towards the needs of the affected persons and their relatives. Although nursing institutions for seniors are the second most frequent place of death in Germany, residents in nursing homes do not yet reliably experience the hospice accompaniment and palliative care, which they need.

OBJECTIVE: In a research project the cooperation between a nursing home for seniors and an outpatient hospice service was investigated. This article pursues the question how the cooperation with an outpatient hospice service can contribute to change the hospice philosophy and palliative competence in a nursing home for seniors.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 23 guided interviews were carried out with residents, relatives and employees of a nursing home. The interviews were analyzed based on the method of qualitative content analysis according to Mayring.

RESULTS: The cooperation with an outpatient hospice service can help to improve the confrontation with dying and death in nursing homes. It can make an important contribution to increase the perception of the personnel and to develop a hospice philosophy CONCLUSION: For a successful cooperation the roles and responsibilities of the persons involved in the care and accompaniment must be clarified. Residents need support to actively participate in the discussion and present their own wishes and expectations.