"Dealing with dying wishes" - this was the title of the lecture by theologian and ethics counsellor Jürgen Zapp at the hospice forum in the district administration office in Homburg. The Saarpfalz Hospice and Palliative Care Network, organised by the Saarpfalz district, had invited him to Homburg.
On behalf of District Administrator Frank John, First District Councillor Markus Schaller warmly welcomed over 40 listeners, including volunteers involved in end-of-life care. "It is essential that we in the Saarpfalz district also deal with such a sensitive topic and issues at the end of life and also offer an opportunity for dialogue and discussion. The visible interest in the Hospice Forum and the valuable work of our hospice and palliative care network confirms this," said Markus Schaller. His thanks went to the speaker Jürgen Zapp, but also to the audience, who together act as a multiplier in the public sphere. He also thanked Carmen Scheidhauer, Head of Social Affairs, Integration and Volunteering, and Marion Haas, the lead contact person at the hospice and palliative network, for organising the event.
When patients in palliative care express a wish to die, and this is not uncommon, these wishes automatically become a topic for relatives and carers. They, in turn, are understandably unsettled, as there is no routine way of dealing with the death wishes of the seriously ill.
Jürgen Zapp had set himself the task of, among other things, bringing a little certainty into the great field of tension between the causes of dying wishes and their correct categorisation, appropriate reactions to these expressions and the differentiation from suicidal intentions, false hopes and loving support in the last phase of life.
If you have any questions about the work of the hospice and palliative care network, you can contact the district administration on (06841) 104 7349 or by e-mail at [email protected].