Journey of providing care in hospice: Perspectives of occupational therapists

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of occupational t herapists with regard to their role in hospice and to examine whether occup ational therapists experienced a conflict in supporting the dual stat us of living and dying for individuals with terminal illness. A qualitative anal ysis revealed the following themes: tuning in and comfort care, loss, worki ng toward death, journey with patient, team player use of occupational ther apy, and dichotomous role. These themes demonstrated that occupational ther apists played a significant role in hospice, helping individuals with termi nal illness to live life fully and comfortably while facing death. The stud y found that occupational therapists used a holistic approach in their work Ey addressing the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual aspects of ca re.