Dying is never beautiful, but there are beautiful moments: qualitative interviews with those affected on the subject of 'good dying'

The concept of the good death has been widely considered. However, the perspectives of those affected have not received sufficient attention. In our empirical study, we conducted interviews with 32 people who were confronted with dying; these people were either terminally ill, elderly or else were b...

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Published in:Mortality (Abingdon, England) Vol. 28; no. 4; pp. 543 - 561
Main Authors: Heimerl, Katharina, Schuchter, Patrick, Egger, Barbara, Lang, Alexander, Frankus, Elisabeth, Prieth, Sonja, Kaelin, Lukas, Dinges, Stefan, Wegleitner, Klaus, Reitinger, Elisabeth
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Abingdon Routledge 02.10.2023
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
beautiful dying
Beauty
Bereavement
Caregivers
Death & dying
Decades
Emotions
good death
Good dying
hospice
Interviews
Older people
palliative care
qualitative interviews
Terminal illnesses
ISSN:1357-6275, 1469-9885
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The concept of the good death has been widely considered. However, the perspectives of those affected have not received sufficient attention. In our empirical study, we conducted interviews with 32 people who were confronted with dying; these people were either terminally ill, elderly or else were bereaved carers. The findings show that for this group of people, dying is not just a physical process, but also a psychological, social and spiritual one. From the perspective of those affected, dying is never beautiful, in particular because of the associated pain and suffering. At the same time, people confronted with dying do experience beautiful moments. In the stories they tell of these beautiful moments, it is a beauty emanating from a sense of elevated emotion - of moral emotion - rather than any aesthetic beauty. We conclude that good care of the dying enables beautiful moments and creates reflective spaces for those affected to express what beauty means to them. We show that the public discourse differs significantly from the perspective of those affected and more efforts need to be made to include their voices.
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ISSN:1357-6275
1469-9885
DOI:10.1080/13576275.2022.2034773