Article Content

More support needed for family caregivers of persons dying at home. In a qualitative study of 18 family caregivers in the April Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, all described delivering home-based hospice care as "an impossible task" and said they were "barely surviving." Participants reported uncertainty about the dying process, fear, lack of knowledge, fatigue, and conflict about morphine use. In all cases, hospice was recommended by the physician, not requested by the patient or family. Families reported feeling peace of mind after the death but it came at a "high price." The authors note the need for collaborative decision-making, more education on opioid use, and greater support for family caregivers.