“Anraku” Experienced by Patients in End of Life Admitted to a Palliative Care Unit

Abstract

[ Aim]　This study aimed to determine the meaning of Anraku to patients in end of life admitted to the palliative care unit.

[ Methods]　Data collection was through fieldwork and unstructured and semi-structured interviews. The analysis was conducted using hermeneutic phenomenology.

[ Results・Discussions]　For patient A, Anraku was not thinking about her upcoming death, but about “living in the moment.” For patient B, Anraku was “the preservation of his ideal self.” For patient C, Anraku was that “he could to comprehend and digest what he was.” For patient D, Anraku was “making it worthwhile to live.” Based on the above, the overall theme was set as “living while maintaining a integrity of one's authenticity.”

In addition, based on the Japanese view of life and death, we consider not only the existence of myself but also my existence as a spirit to be a part of me, and have chosen the theme of “living while maintaining the integrity as one’s authenticity” as the theme of “Anraku.”

[ Conclusion]　This study is suggested that the patient’s “Anraku” should be integrated into spirituality, as the patient’s “Mi.”