Abstract
This work presents an account of care of a patient referred to the home care service of a general hospital with diagnoses of chronic diseases and indications for treatment in palliative care. Over a year, a psychologist at the hospital performed patient follow-up with health teams, both at home and during the hospital admissions. Patient, children, wife and caregiver, aiming to help in the preparation of experiences related to illness and treatment; pursuing of quality of life and coping with finiteness were met. In this period the patient was admitted, removed and readmitted in the palliative care protocol, due to instabilities in the clinical picture and to the conflicts and difficulties of communication between him and his relatives. In this sense, the focus was on the psychological care mediation of family conflicts and on the communication patient-family - staff, stimulating the patient’s autonomy, ensuring respect and consideration to his wishes and decisions, as well as giving emotional support for coping with anticipatory grief. The reflections and interventions made possible by palliative care and psychology enabled the patient not to give up his life and the family to gain security and support for coping with the experience of loss and grieving.
Psychology; Palliative Care; Home Care; Hospital