Palliative architecture : bridging the gap between clinical hospitalisation and the sense of homeliness at end of life

Abstract

Palliative care is considered to be a response to traditional healthcare practices, practices which focused on the disease and oblivious to the humanistic side of medicine. Dame Cicely Saunders, an English doctor, physician, nurse and a social work worked closely with patients who were suffering from advanced cancer. She embarked on a narrative research in order to better understand the needs and experiences of the patients. From her studies, a patient-centred holistic approach emerged, where the care focused more on the quality of life of the patient, which such care was also extended to the patient’s family. The rise for the need of palliative care nationally is an indication that the idea of having one hospital which fulfils all of the requirements and satisfies all the needs should be revisited. This dissertation is a response to the demands aforementioned, it draws upon literature in order to define the needs of all individuals involved within palliative care in attempt to resolve the complexities of an architectural design which focuses on a patient-centred holistic approach by addressing the needs of patients, family members and the professional caregivers. This is carried out by addressing the current palliative ward at the Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre and having in depth discussions with the patients together with their relatives and the professional caregivers within the ward. In doing so the research aims to reconcile the social and spatial difficulties with a marriage of both, in order to create a therapeutic environment. Embarking on a qualitative research, the results obtained illustrate that the palliative care unit is tied down with constraints of infection control and bureaucracy which impinges on the potential experienced of the users within the unit due to the restriction imposed on the surrounding environment due to this control.