ABSTRACT
Can one equip people with ways of coping with suffering and the end of life? Narratives of people facing these difficult yet universal issues can help caregivers and patients find their own answers. They have to do with recognising the dying process, knowing and accepting what can happen and being willing to meet a person where they are, not where we think they should be.
Medical intervention is difficult to regulate and no law can ever match every individual situation. An ethical framework against which a decision and course of action can be justified may be more respectful and stimulating of professionals’ responsibility. Alongside a person-centred approach, it may ward off health and life becoming increasingly scientific and depersonalised.
Care and services must be provided with some key elements: lessons from scientific research evidence as well as from the 'bedside' evidence of clinical experience and expertise; guidance from the laws of the land, local regulations and cultural contexts; and more importantly attending to the voice, preferences and choices of the patient and their caregivers. They remain at the centre of care and we need to listen, not only to their suffering and strengths, but also with the ear of the heart.
