Efforts made by nurse administrators during end-of-life care at geriatric health service facilities

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to clarify the efforts made by nurse administrators during end-of-life care at geriatric health service facilities. A questionnaire survey was provided to 39 nurse administrators working for 39 facilities that provide end-of-life care. A total of 36 valid responses were received（response rate 92.3％）and analyzed. According to the survey results, overall, respondents took meticulous care to ensure that residents live a safe and comfortable daily life, drawing out needs and concerns from residents and their families. The respondents also supported residents’ families when they experienced emotional changes associated with the residents’ changing health conditions. Furthermore, the respondents helped their facility staff resolve emotional struggles and concerns. Finally, the respondents hoped that their staff would develop their own views of life and death through end-of-life care, which suggested the need to organize death conferences or create other opportunities for their staff to share their thoughts and feelings with colleagues.