2023 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 62-71
This study clarified the structure of the end-of-life care needs of residents in nursing homes, and obtained suggestions for the systematization of care based on care needs from the time of their admission to death. Focus group interviews were conducted with 36 expert nurses with nursing experience in nursing homes. A total of 118 cases were analyzed qualitatively and inductively. The end-of-life care needs of residents in nursing home were as follows: [inability to verbally express abnormal symptoms], [new health problems following the continued decline in physical functions], [difficulty moving as a result of pain and decreased motivation], [difficulty eating satisfactorily consequent to decreased swallowing function], [anxiety and restlessness] and [difficulty in spending time in a familiar place until the end of life]. The structure of care needs revealed that these six categories interacted with each other, and the lack of care that effectively met the needs of the residents expanded. At the root of this dilemma is the inevitable senility faced by most residents, which requires assistance based on an advanced predictive judgment to prevent the expansion of the care needs by avoiding sudden changes during their stay and reducing the total pain they experienced until death as a way of extending their lives.
