The Shift of Dignity in Terminally Ill Patients

Abstract

Objectives: When the illness becomes acute, the patient will be burdened physically and psychosocially. Three factors could affect their dignity: illness-related dignity, dignity conserving repertoire, and social dignity inventory. This research aims to describe the dignity shifting experiences of the terminally-ill patients based on their families’ opinions. If the health care workers aware and realize this shifting, it will help them to give care for the terminal ill patients. Methods: This research was a phenomenological study as a part of bigger study carried out in a Catholic hospital in Indonesia. The subjects for this research were the families of terminally ill patients. They were interviewed to know what kind of shifting happened in their families’ members. Result: Being sick and hospitalized was a shift of dignity. According to the families interviewed, being patients in the hospital everybody that they knew was visiting and watching them laying on the bed. Patients expressed their feelings that they were “such a performer”; not strong enough and ready to welcome guests because of the condition, or they felt not comfortable and always wanted to go home. Other patient felt that she was very dependent and not used to be served by nurses in a hospital. The patient was strong before, but during the illness, she became and was so weak. In another case, one patient somehow kept her dignity by telling her sister to continue running the business. Every day she told her sister to do the job properly, like a business as usual, as if she did not want to loose her dignity. Conclusions: There are various stages and shifting happening during the illness. Some patients felt that the illness weaken their physical body and social relations. Some others tried to conserve their mental condition after the illness. The healthcare workers should be aware, paid attention and be trained to this dignity shifting. The care needs to be adapted and given considerably according to the patients.

Keywords

• end-of-life care, phenomenology, dignity, palliative care