Abstract
This paper aims to explore potential implications to family relationships in the end of life, throughout a narrative review of literature. Thus, it was perceived that increased longevity and the consequent increase in the prevalence of chronic-degenerative diseases have prolonged periods of treatment and care, which are usually physically, emotionally and financially expensive. It is understood that changes and loss involved in the process of illness harm patients and also their relatives, which justifies the need for assistance that provides care to these individuals and helps them to face the physical, psychosocial and spiritual suffering that they are exposed to.
Palliative care; Family relations; Hospice care