Dual Roles of the Care Provider at the End of Life: An Autoethnography

Abstract

In early 2006, my father called saying that my 96-year-old Aunt Rose had a stroke. This event placed me in the dual role of being both an ethics consultant and a family member of someone who had begun the process of dying. The literature shows that health care providers who find themselves in the position of being a care provider for a dying family member often feel that: no one else can provide as high a quality of care; families depend on them for advocacy and education; a professional role allows one to escape personal grieving; and the encounter can be motivation for professional action. This experience of consulting for a family member has taught me four lessons: (a) ethics consultations ideally should be continuing conversations; (b) case narratives are richer than case studies; (c) ethics consultants should be patient advocates; (d) health professionals need a process of grief assistance.