End of Life Care in Elderly: Family Experiences

Mostly, death occurs due to aging, while the rest because of illness. In palliative care, Indonesian elderly with a chronic disease more likely to stay at home with their families until the death. These conditions give a unique experience to the family when taking care of elderly at the end of their life. This study was aimed to explore the family experiences in taking care of the elderly at the end of life. This study used a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach. It was in-depth interview with semi-structured questions. The sampling technique was purposive sampling with inclusion criteria at Puskesmas Mulyorejo, Surabaya, Indonesia. A total of 4 family carers were recruited, and ten individuals were got involved in an in-depth interview. Five themes were revealed, including response, barriers, coping mechanism, the hope of family member, and the needs of health care. Taking care of the elderly at the end of life could bring a negative response to the family. So, in some cases the family need properly preparation and some help from the health workers.