Abstract
While patient-centered and will-respected end-of-life medical treatment and care is needed, there are still many difficulties in the support process for patientsʼ decision making about their own end of life. In this paper, we would like to highlight the necessity for a “learning community”in order to know, consider and discuss the problems on disease and death. As a trial, we have implemented a citizen participatory program on end-of-life care and have examined the meaning of such a “learning community” for end-of-life care. As a result, it is indicated that such a practice has important effects on the participants, such as giving them the feeling of cultivating an active and responsible way of life and of being supported by others. At the same time, as many of the participants have had difficulties speaking to their family about end-of-life, we could observe that a place to think and talk about such matters with people outside the family is highly needed. Such a place should be conceived as one where the participants themselves can examine and explore the way they want to conduct their own life.
