Abstract

MONTOYA JUAREZ, Rafael. Those who will see us die: Meaning and answer to death and moribund people by health workers of a nursing home. Index Enferm [online]. 2006, vol.15, n.52-53, pp.25-29. ISSN 1699-5988.

Death is a taboo in our society as well as for health institutions and workers. Death should be inserted into a process of dying; The inclusion of a person within this process is conditioned by social and cultural factors. Many decisions and attitudes of a person and of those near him depend on the fact of considering him a moribund person. Nine semi-structured interviews were carried out to health workers of a residential home for the elderly who are in contact with moribund people. The aim was to determine what meaning death has for them, what attitudes and behaviours they have towards moribund people, how they distinguish those who are dying and what factors condition the process of dying in that privileged area of study. Professionals consider death as rest for the residents. They believe they can identify a moribund person and try to calculate the moment of the decease. The behaviour of the workers with the moribund person change with respect to the rest of the residents. The most influential environmental factor on the behaviour with the moribunds is the lack of time. Qualitative methodology is needed to study the process of dying.