This thesis deals with psychosocial practice techniques in terminal care as part of a literature review and is divided into 7 chapters. After an introduction (chapter 1) including the formulation of the research question, the goal definition of this work as well as the discussion of the applied methodology, definitions and terminology are presented in chapter 2, which are essential for the understanding of the present thesis and thus also represent a demarcation to other works. The content focuses on the one hand on the stages of death according to Kübler-Ross and on the other hand on models of the hierarchy of needs according to Maslow.
Having provided the necessary bases in chapter 3, a detailed view of the hospice and palliative care with a strong focus on Austria is presented. Based on the structure of the Austrian basic care as well as the specialized care in the hospice and palliative range, necessary disciplines will be defined and their precise validity will be clarified, thus moving on to the actual topic of psychosocial terminal care.
The subject of “fears”, whether those of the dying themselves or those of the relatives, will be examined in chapter 4 in detail. This will lead to the topic of “needs”. By intersecting the two topics, the complex issue of the best settings for terminal care can be analysed. As a result of this section, the relevant aspects in psychosocial care, on the one hand of the dying persons and on the other hand of their relatives, are summarized, leading towards the topic of problem areas and inherent potentials for improvement (chapter 5). Knowledge of the current enables the identification of different areas of activity as well as their potential for improvement.
This work is concluded in chapter 6 with the discussion as well as the answer of the research question defined at the beginning, followed by conclusions in chapter 7, which summarizes the topic briefly and in form of a personal estimate of future developments as well as listing the necessary steps to be taken.