Abstract
Support is indispensable for families providing home care for cancer patients. This study investigated factors supporting decisions made by families that provided end-of-life care for cancer patients at home. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of such families (N=15) about why they could provide such care. The responses were analyzed using the Grounded Theory Approach. The results indicated 115 codes, 32 ideas, eight subcategories, and three categories. The categories were: (1) the feelings of accepting end-of-life care at home, i.e. the family’s view of life and death, (2) support from people around the family, i.e. human relationships with surrounding people, and (3) the courage to continue home care, i.e. the family members’ recognition of the condition in which the family and the patients are placed. It is suggested that interventions for these factors are necessary to support the decisions made by families providing end-of-life care for patients at home.
