Understanding the meaning of social well-being at the end of life.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To advance understanding of the social well-being domain, a dimension of quality of life, from the perspective of dying individuals.

RESEARCH APPROACH

Qualitative, hermeneutic, and phenomenologic.

SETTING

Private residences in a community setting.

PARTICIPANTS

8 terminally ill adult patients with cancer, aged 35-75, enrolled in hospice care.

METHODOLOGIC APPROACH

In-depth, semistructured, tape-recorded, and transcribed interviews were analyzed using the Giorgi method.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES

Social well-being and quality of life at the end of life.

FINDINGS

Six themes emerged that described the meaning of close personal relationships at the end of life: meaning of relationships with family, friends, and coworkers; meaning of relationships with God or a higher power; loss and gains of role function; love; gratitude; and lessons on living.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients who were terminally ill with advanced cancer expressed the importance of close personal relationships at the end of life and the need to communicate their importance through love and gratitude. All participants believed that personal relationships were strengthened by the end-of-life experience.

INTERPRETATION

Nurses can support terminally ill patients by understanding the importance of social relationships at the end of life. The relationships may be enhanced when nurses raise patients' conscious awareness of the relationships and encourage them to express their importance.