Survival is not enough: taking care of the patient as a whole
De Santo, R.M.
Giornale Italiano di Nefrologia Organo Ufficiale Della Societa Italiana di Nefrologia 25(6): 677-685
2008
ISSN/ISBN: 0393-5590 PMID: 19048567 Document Number: 617689
The ill deserve holistic care including assistance for the anxiety and fear generated by his illness. Illness may be viewed as a call for help, as the nocturnal side of life, or as a product of culture. All moments of the illness are precious, and its last instants may even reveal the infinite. The Western world is afraid of death--even now that our lives get longer--and abates the fear by removing the idea of death, even if poets have emphasized the richness it carries within.