ABSTRACT
The crisis of dying is shared by the individual’s ‘support team’. The burdens and pleasures of care are distributed among the individual’s social network, who grieves, protest, despair, acknowledge and adjust as the inevitability of death becomes apparent. Caregivers may be family members, volunteers or paid workers. The cohesion and resilience of relationships may be sorely tested; social bonds may be stretched and/or strengthened. The experience can threaten a family’s survival. The empathic support of palliative care professionals is a crucial influence on how families may adapt and cope. The family becomes an integral part of the multidisciplinary team during the final journey. Strengthening relationships with loved ones has been identified by patients with terminal illness as an important facet of end-of-life care. For some caregivers the fears associated with the final phase of life may be too great, for others dying in one’s own bed may be superstitiously unacceptable.
