I’ll Be a Window in Your Home. The Art of Being Fully Present to the Dying Patient in Palliative Care

Abstract

Dying is an embodied and relational process. It is also a mutually enriching process, not only for the dying patient in palliative care, but also for all involved in his dying. Unfortunately, due to the lack of attention and subsequent understanding of these mutually enriching human experiences, the caring process strictly focuses on medical, psychological, and social needs rather than on the caring presence within a more comprehensive holistic caring practice. The dissertation is a response to this lack of attention in dealing with the human experiences of dying patients in palliative care, and in being open to care and being fully present to them. I have set out to focus on the role of the self-understanding of all involved in a dying patient’s care, as themselves embodied and relational persons, and how their bodily and relational self-understanding enhances and contributes to better outcomes in palliative care practice. I have critically analyzed the anthropological foundations of embodiment and relationality, and from these foundations, developed a new framework for a more comprehensive approach towards a caring presence to the dying in palliative care.