The Transition from Routine Care to End-of-life Care in a Nursing Home: Exploring Staff Perspectives

In balancing the sometimes conflicting expectations of routine, restorative, and end-of-life care needs, nursing home professionals have developed ways of managing the transition that can be important in developing specific end-of-life protocols. This study has 3 implications for practice: (1) focused end-of-life education and planning can help frontline staff prepare for the inevitable numbers of residents who will die in the nursing homes, (2) mechanisms for helping staff manage the intense emotional responses that accompany loss of long-term residents are important for long-term well-being of frontline staff, and (3) focused attention on the unique dynamics of “home” and “family” can assist nursing home professionals with ongoing losses and cumulative grief.