Disappointment and palliative care.

摘要

When serious illness strikes it is usually accompanied by a sense of hope that all may still turn out well. This may be followed by the gradual realization that cure is unlikely and a new normality must be accepted. Much of this process may remain unspoken, except with those closest to us. People find their own way to make sense of what is happening to them towards the end of life-and to reconcile this with their own expectations and the impact on those left behind. As Cicely Saunders said: 'A search for meaning, of course, can take place quietly.' (Saunders, 1986).