Soins palliatifs en établissement d'hébergement pour personnes âgées dépendantes : état des lieux, problématiques et perspectives

Nursing homes are actors in France in support of the end of life. As part of the 2008-2012 development program of palliative care, several concrete measures or devices have been introduced to assist nursing home professionals to implement palliative care in institutions. At the completion of this program, an initial assessment revealed significant problems. The analysis of these issues allowed considering possible improvements. In fact, three very specific phenomena emerged: the lack of the presence of a night nurse, the finding of a subpopulation of elderly requiring both institutionalization in nursing homes and more consistent technical care and the difficulty to develop an individualized plan of care. Let us be creative, professionals of nursing homes are ready.