What is important for end of life care?

A combination of physical, psychological, social and spiritual elements are said to be vital for meeting the fundamental human needs of end of life care, according to a new study.

Researchers identified a variety of care-giving activities undertaken by health workers in palliative care settings dealing with people experiencing their last days of life.

Focusing on the countries Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Argentina, New Zealand and the UK, investigators discovered that most activities were carried out through bodily contact.

This would often include managing a person's diverse bodily needs while maintaining comfort and dignity.

Communication was also found to be important to successful care when a patient was close to death, be it with the individual directly, their family or a combination of the two in a pleasant environment.

Additionally, making sure someone is present, especially close to death, was reported as being essential by care-givers.

However, further research into the effect of spiritualism on death may also help to improve an individual's care experience.

Find out about palliative care and nursing at Barchester care homes.