Preparing for a good death? Palliative care representations in the italian public television programming.

The difficulty in accepting death is a constant that transcends differences of time and place. The literature shows that the dying is often subjected to invasive procedures with significant consequences on individual wellbeing and public health. If death is hard to accept even for the practitioners, what happens in the broader population? What narratives surround the end of life? The study focuses on the Italian context and its transformations, the public's understanding of palliative care, and the television programs dealing with hospice and palliative care aired by the Italian public broadcasting company from the 1950s to the present day.

Funeral and Mortuary Operators: The Role of Stigma, Incivility, Work Meaningfulness and Work-Family Relation to Explain Occupational Burnout.

The funeral and mortuary sector, including funeral homes, cemeteries and crematoria, is a largely neglected sector in regard to the study of occupational factors that can affect the quality of working life. The present study aimed at overcoming this gap by investigating job demands and resources that may affect burnout levels. Data were collected through a self-report questionnaire involving funeral industry employees (N = 229) from cemetery, morgues, crematoria and funeral agencies in a Northern Italian region. The survey was cross-sectional and non-randomized. Results reveal that among job demands, stigma consciousness, supervisor incivility and work-to-family negative spillover significantly affect levels of burnout, whereas meaningfulness of work and family-to-work positive spillover may represent relevant resources to counter the onset of burnout. The results of this study contribute to new insights into the psychosocial working conditions that affect occupational wellbeing among the funeral industry sector by also giving insight into how to promote resources to prevent burnout.

Curable or treatable? The implications of different definitions of illness when treating patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

People suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have complex health and care needs. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the gaps in the health and community service care provided to ALS patients. In order to ensure continuity of care, specialist centres have to build effective relationships with local primary health care services and community services, health managers, physicians, patients, families and the surrounding support networks. We undertook a qualitative study that examined the specialist centres in hospitals, communities and primary care services. In 2010 we carried out 47 semi-structured interviews and one group interview in Italy, targeting all those involved in ALS care, on all levels. We used purposive sampling to obtain maximum variation across professions, sectors and services. Participants reported gaps arising when local health managers have to assess patient eligibility for certain services. The need to set priorities when allocating resources means that professionals 'categorize' patients without considering the multidimensional nature of their needs. For instance, rehabilitation is generally guaranteed for people with temporary or non-progressive functional limitations, yet it is not granted to degenerative patients. Patients with similar physical conditions, with perceived differences of other kinds (i.e. curable vs. treatable), may experience differential access to care.