Dying at home : retrieving a hospice palliative care practice through care ethics

Abstract

This work will discuss dying at home as a practice which is being replaced by dying in a clinical setting thus giving rise to several end of life bioethical dilemmas. The combination of shifting death to the hospital and medical advances, paved the way to new bioethical issues pertaining to end of life care. A paradoxical situation in which on one hand life was being prolonged and on the other hand hastened, started to emerge. The emergence of hospice palliative care was a result of the dissatisfaction with how dying men and women were being cared for, and an attempt to offer an alternative, dignified care to the dying. The philosophy of hospice palliative care is considered to share common features with care ethics, and thus, a care ethics framework is deemed to be the most suitable in solving hospice palliative care ethical dilemmas. Considering caring for the dying from a care ethics approach gives a new meaning to the dying process as it is through care that humans connect, value each other, and respond to each other’s needs, values which are synonymous with hospice palliative care. The everchanging demographics wherein people suffering from a life-limiting disease are living longer, will result in an increased demand for hospice palliative care. This requires more support in terms of research, legislation, funding, awareness, and equitable access. The reinforcement and promotion of hospice palliative care as a form of care ethics might be the answer that counteracts end of life bioethical issues, only if society would learn to place more emphasis on caring rather than curing.