Redefining hope for the terminally ill

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper discusses how hospice social workers assist patients and families in finding new hope and meaning in their lives as care goals turn from cure to comfort. Assessment factors important to the redefinition process and intervention strategies are explored. Hope is defined as the positive expectation for meaning attached to life events with the emphasis on meaning instead of life events. The author seeks to demonstrate the importance of meaning to the feeling of hope and the possibility of socially constructing meaning to alleviate the traditional medical perspective that hope revolves around the outcome of disease.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)115-120
Number of pages6
JournalAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Volume19
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2002

Keywords

  • hope
  • hospice
  • meaning
  • social work
  • spirituality

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