Dealing with meaning issues in the psychosocial care of dying persons

Background to the study
Questions of meaning and crises of meaning are also, or especially at the end of life, a relevant and sometimes urgent topic of conversation for dying people/hospice residents. However, employees in the health care system sometimes feel overwhelmed and burdened by such conversations, partly because there has been a lack of practical help, e.g. in the form of academically sound assistance, reference guides and methods. In addition, there are hardly any healthcare research studies, particularly in Germany, but also internationally, on what wishes people at the end of life have for dealing with their possible questions of meaning and crises of meaning.

Aims of the study
Against this background, the aim of this study is to make a contribution to closing these research gaps by asking full-time and voluntary hospice staff from inpatient and outpatient care about their practical experiences in dealing with questions of meaning in the dying in guided interviews.
Direct questioning of dying people or hospice residents on this topic proved to be very difficult for various reasons, so the above-mentioned companions are interviewed as representatives.

Expected benefits of the study
The results of this study could, for the first time, provide both national and international research with a comprehensive description of the needs of dying people in dealing with their questions of meaning and thus possibly also provide practical recommendations for (therapeutic) support in dealing with questions of meaning at the end of life.