ABSTRACT
A prolonged period of dying in an institution is becoming part of the life cycle for more and more persons. Over two-thirds of all deaths occur today in hospitals, nursing homes, or other similar facilities [1]. In the past it was often possible to prepare at home for a “good” death, with the help of those who belonged to the family circle. Today, however, as the dying process has moved from the family setting into the public sphere, the dying person is physically and psychologically removed from his own circle and even from himself. Many persons are finally awakening to what this imposes on our dying people and how it deprives the living as well of invaluable human experiences. The highly personal, deeply intense experience of dying has become increasingly encased within the technological procedures of life-saving and life-extending. The patient’s values, spoken by others if expressed at all, compete with the values of the institution [2].
