Terminal care means taking care of a dying person by relieving the pain and distress. In this study, we discuss the realization of the terminal care. The goal of this study is to draw a general overview of what it means to take care of a dying person. Here, a dying person is called a patient. However, the information can also be used outside a hospice.

The idea of the present thesis came from previous personal work experience with dying patients, and from media´s news about the negative experiences of terminal care due to inefficient pain management and reduction of suffering. Terminal care should also take into account the patient´s family and close ones, as well as the nurses.

Based on the theoretical framework, the aim is to develop a guide for the domiciliary care in Somero. The guide will include help for noticing the symptoms of a dying person, relieving those symptoms, supporting the relatives, and supporting the cooperation between the different units. The goal of the guide is to improve the quality of terminal care in Somero with the clearer instructions for treatment methods, which can be applied eve-rywhere, and improve the cooperation and patient-centered perspective.

There is a lot of information regarding terminal care. The theoretical framework is built to offer the reader a clear understanding about terminal care – what impact it has on the patient, what the aims of the treatment methods are and how to achieve them.