The importance of saying goodbye to a loved one in a pain-free environment

J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother. 2012;26(1):55-6. doi: 10.3109/15360288.2011.650356.

Abstract

When a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness, it's devastating to everyone close to them. At these moments creating a pain free environment is essential, not just to the person receiving the medication, but also to those who love and care for them. In these situations pain is not just physical, it's emotional, and when people have to watch a loved one suffer, it amplifies the emotional pain they are already experiencing at the realization of losing them. As for the patient who is dying, they are experiencing pain and emotions on so many levels. They are watching their loved ones experience their emotional turmoil, but they are also coming to grips with having to say goodbye to everyone who ever meant anything to them. The physical pain is the most immediate and the easiest to understand and it also happens to be the simplest type of pain to deal with.

MeSH terms

  • Emotions
  • Family / psychology*
  • Hospice Care / psychology
  • Humans
  • Pain Management / psychology*
  • Terminal Care / psychology