Author(s)

Yoko Minamiguchi¹, Kumi Suzuki²

¹Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Nursing, Osaka Medical College, Osaka, Japan.
²Faculty of Nursing, Osaka Medical College, Osaka, Japan.

Purpose: This study aims to understand how elderly patients with advanced cancer and their families make a decision for a place of death for the patient. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 pairs of elderly patients and members of their family. The patients had finished anticancer treatment and made some decision about the preferred place of death. A modified grounded-theory approach was used for the data analysis. Results: Making a “tentative” decision for the place of death of the elderly patients is a process with the core category [carefully choosing the final place for self-fulfillment]. The patients were “conducting a comprehensive review of the place of death” and “embracing the wishes for a way of life without difficulty”. Involving the family in making a “tentative” decision about the place of death of the elderly patients is the process with the core category [realizing the wish of patients in the terminal condition for the way for death]. The families were “examining the place of death from different aspects” and “respecting the patient’s intention as far as possible”. Conclusions: When the patients [carefully choosing the final place for self-fulfillment], it was important to reconcile their wishes with the burden on the families. When the families were trying to [realize the wish of patients in the terminal condition for the way for dying], it was important to balance the respect for the patient intentions and homecare they can provide for the patient. For the patients and their families, it is essential to mutually understand the intentions and wishes of the other party in decision making about the place of death.

Advanced Cancer, Elderly Patients, Place of Death, Family, Decision Making

Minamiguchi, Y. and Suzuki, K. (2019) Decision-Making Process for the Place of Death of Elderly Patients with Advanced Cancer and Their Families. Open Journal of Nursing, 9, 1281-1305. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2019.912093.