Family care of the dying in the Republic of Moldova: a qualitative study.

This paper reports the principle findings of a national, cross-sectional, interview-based study of the experiences of people who cared for a dying family member in the Republic of Moldova. Study data, collected from 102 interviews, covered four broad areas: the experiences of the dying person; family members' own experiences of caring; the practice (or non-practice) of any traditional customs for dying or death; and family carers' views of their own needs in these circumstances. Most carers reported high levels of psychological distress. Dying persons were reported to experience significant and unrelieved suffering. The practice of traditional customs was uneven, and there were significant levels of non-practice. Most respondents expressed a need for greater professional support, respite, specialized equipment and medicines, and home help from health care professionals. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of potential local developments and international aid.

Deathbed visions from the Republic of Moldova: a content analysis of family observations.

This is an interview-based study of 102 families and their observations of the last weeks and days of a dying family member. Forty-one families reported hearing about "visions," "hallucinations," or "dreams" from their dying loved one before their death. Of these 41 mixed cases, 37 cases demonstrated classic features of deathbed visions-reports of seeing dead relatives or friends communicating to the dying person. This article reports a content analysis of these 37 cases in order to identify the major psychosocial themes that seem to be conveyed by these kinds of experiences. Six major themes are identified. These themes are: support, comfort, companionship, reunion, prognosis, and choice and control. Implications of these themes are discussed in relation to their role in providing significant support for the psychological morale and social well being of dying people.