Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, Department of Social Work
Abstract
Iako su umiranje i smrt postali zasebna znanstvena tema, još uvijek se nedovoljno zna o tome kako kvalitetno živjeti do samog kraja. Mnoge odgovore o ovom području daje palijativna skrb – skrb o umirućima i njihovim obiteljima. Ona se posvećuje stvaranju okolnosti u kojima smrt postaje prihvatljiva i dostojanstvena pa na taj način promovira koncept »dobra smrt«.
Postojeći domaći i strani prikazi dobre smrti kod neizlječivo bolesnih osoba su fragmentarni i nedostaje im integrativni pristup. Svrha je ovog rada, pregledom recentnih teorijskih spoznaja, objediniti pojedinačne prikaze u cjelinu te sustavno i analitički opisati aspekte dobre smrti.
Predstavljene spoznaje ukazuju da je dobra smrt temeljno ljudsko pravo i vrijednost te dinamička i humanistička kategorija što odražava jedinstveno iskustvo umirućeg. Izrazito je socijalni događaj i potpuno se može ostvariti jedino unutar socijalnog okruženja i odnosa s drugim ljudima. Neki njeni najpoželjniji aspekti su: prirodnost, kvaliteta življenja, upravljanje simptomima, boli i osjećajima, osobne vrijednosti, socijalna podrška, humanost i dostojanstvo, duhovnost i skrb o obitelji.Although death and dying became a separate scientific topic, the knowledge about living a life of quality until the very end is still insufficient. Palliative care – the care about the dying and their families - provides many answers in this area. It is dedicated to creating the circumstances in which death becomes acceptable and dignified, thus promoting the concept of good death.
The existing national and international reviews of good death in terminally ill persons are fragmentary and lack an integrative approach. The purpose of this paper is to integrate the individual reviews into a whole through the survey of recent theoretical notions, and to systematically and analytically describe the aspects of good death.
Presented notions point out that good death is a fundamental human right and value, as well as a dynamic and humanistic category which reflects the unique experience of the dying person. It is a markedly social event, and can be fully realised only within the social environment and through relationships with other people. Some of its most desirable aspects are: naturalness, quality of life, managing symptoms, pain and feelings, personal values, social support, humanity and dignity, spirituality and care about the family