Caswell, G. orcid.org/0000-0002-8246-8189, Wilson, E., Turner, N. orcid.org/0000-0002-0870-8324 et al. (1 more author) (2022) ‘It’s not like in the films’: bereaved people’s experiences of the deathbed vigil. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying. ISSN 0030-2228
Abstract
This paper explores how people enact and experience the deathbed vigil when someone close to them is dying. It draws on qualitative interviews with 34 bereaved people carried out as part of a wider study exploring public perceptions of death and dying. Participants were aware of the expectation that they would attend the deathbed and did their best to do so. Findings are reported using four themes: gathering, enacting the deathbed vigil, experiencing the deathbed vigil and moment of death. Participants’ experiences varied. Some families kept vigil as a group, while others established a shift system or waited alone. Activities at the bedside included reading to the dying person, talking amongst themselves, sharing memories, saying goodbye. The covid-19 pandemic highlighted families’ wish to accompany their dying relatives.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). |
Keywords: | deathbed; dying; family; moment of death; vigil |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > The Medical School (Sheffield) > Division of Genomic Medicine (Sheffield) > Department of Oncology and Metabolism (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 17 Mar 2025 11:44 |
Last Modified: | 17 Mar 2025 11:44 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/00302228221133413 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:224523 |