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The Use of Language in Hospice Care and the Impact on Patients and Families
Gant, Valerie (Sage, 2017-07-01)
Whilst there is an expanding literature and a growing knowledge-base relating to patient and family experiences in hospice settings (1,2,3), there is a much more limited corpus reflecting the first-person perspective of patients and their families. These accounts can be helpful in highlighting perceived gaps between current practice and family needs (4). This narrative account reflects upon the perspective of a hospice patient’s family during her last week of life and notes how the actions and language of staff members and volunteers had a major impact on the overall experience and subsequent grieving processes of family members.