The liminality of palliative care (original) (raw)

This paper discusses the application of the anthropological concept of liminality to narratives of New Zealanders living in the community with life threatening conditions, both malignant and non-malignant. This qualitative research aimed to explore the ways in which people diagnosed with life-threatening conditions managed their life world. Using a narrative approach, 13 participants, eight spousal caregivers, three adult children, three specialists, one general practitioner and one psychotherapist were interviewed. Analysis was thematic and interpretive within a phenomenological framework. Receiving a diagnosis with a poor prognosis heralded significant life changes for patients and their families and precipitated a transition from an identity as a productive member of society and community participant to that of patient living with an uncertain future. Conceptualising end-of-life care in terms of liminality offers a powerful framework for understanding the experiences and challenges faced by people with life threatening conditions and their families.