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Researchers say changing the way we think about death and teaching people to discuss it in a more positive way could improve end-of-life health care for patients.
Researchers at Flinders University studied the cases of 1,491 people to determine the language they used to describe their feelings at the time of death.
For many people, death is one of the most taboo subjects, especially if someone has recently experienced loss, and the words they use can show their level of comfort.
It turns out that people who are uncomfortable with the topic are more likely to choose emotional words like “fear”, while others use terms like “inevitable or natural”.
Researchers say that encouraging people to see death as a normal part of life can help them make better decisions as they prepare for what is inevitable. Working with people to take a positive approach to death can help them manage their supportive care needs and expectations.
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Lead author of the study, Dr Lauren Miller Lewis, of Flinders University in Australia, said residents get older and when older people are terminally ill, they often receive care from health professionals. health care in residential rather than at home. Because of this postponement of death attitude, “we can live life without really arguing or witnessing the end of life.”
“Addressing and changing these visions will help the community plan and manage future needs and expectations for end-of-life care,” she said. It will also “improve patient and family care, including better preparedness for death, and help develop future health services.”
1,491 respondents signed up for the survey for a six-week open online course called Dying2Learn, where they encouraged a dying discussion.
Words used by participants to discuss death, before and after the training session, were analyzed using automated sentiment analysis. At the end of the session, participants were able to use more pleasant, calm, and controlled words to express themselves on the topic, the researchers say.
“Words are not neutral, so understanding the emotional connotations of the words we use can help guide conversations about hospice care,” said Dr. Miller Lewis.
The youngest participants showed the greatest increase in positive vocabulary.
Co-author Dr Trent Lewis said learning to openly discuss and deal with the emotions of death can help the general public accept them as a part of life.
The researchers also noted differences in the way participants talked about death with other people.
The results are published in the journal PLOS One.
Source: Daily Mail
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