The perceptions on good death of the older adults in the semi-urban community: A qualitative study.
Araya Tipwong, Tanawat Ruamsook, Thitavan Hongkittiyanon and 1 others
PMID 35891908WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults who had cared for dying relatives described a good death as painless, free of burdensome life-saving devices, prepared spiritually and practically, and surrounded by family at home.
These were community perceptions, not tested outcomes.
Key findings
01A good death was described as painless and without distress, including avoiding life-saving devices that prolong dying without improving quality of life.
02Participants saw a natural death as dying at the expected end of life, or from illness with time for family members to care and accept the death.
03A carefree death meant being prepared through spiritual practice, family and property arrangements, and dying among loved ones in a familiar place.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only 14 older adults from one semi-urban subdistrict in Thailand, so the perceptions may not apply to other places, ages, cultures, or health systems. Participants were older adults who had cared for dying relatives, not necessarily the dying patients themselves, so the findings reflect caregiver and community perspectives. The interviews used a gatekeeper approach through village health volunteers in a selected area, so local relationships and culture may shape what was said. The study reports perceptions and themes, not measured effects of any palliative care intervention.
Declared interests
The study was supported by a research grant from Suan Sunadha Rajabhat Thailand, and the authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that a particular palliative care plan causes a good death. They are perceptions from older adult caregivers in one Thai semi-urban community, not outcomes from a tested intervention.