Dignity amidst Liminality: Healing within Suffering among Chinese Terminal Cancer Patients

Abstract

This study critically examines the concepts of dignity and liminality at the end-of-life, in an effort to better understand the processes of healing within suffering among older Chinese terminal cancer patients in Hong Kong. Meaning-oriented interviews were conducted with 16 patients, aged 58 to 98, to elicit the narratives and stories of their illness experience. All interviews were analyzed using grounded theory. Two major themes and eight sub-processes of healing for achieving and maintaining dignity were identified: (1) Personal Autonomy, which encompasses the need to (i) regain control over living environments, (ii) maintain self-sufficiency, (ii) make informed care decisions to reduce sense of burden, and (iv) engage in future planning to create a lasting legacy; and (2) Family Connectedness, which encompasses the need to (i) maintain close ties with family members to express appreciation, (ii) achieve reconciliation, (iii) fulfill family obligations, and (iv) establish a continuing bond that transcends generations. Implications of these themes for advanced care planning and life review interventions in palliative social work are discussed, as such could provide the much needed structure and meaning to dying patients at the end-of-life. This study was funded by the General Research Fund, RGC, HSAR Government (HKU 740909H).