End-of-life care at home: Considerations about Brazil and France

Abstract

It is a theoretical essay derived from considerations developed in two researches carried out between 2012 and 2017. The objective is discussing the insertion of the domicile as a caring space within public policies regarding the end of life in Brazil and in France. For this purpose, reading documents that regulate the organization of services addressed to persons undergoing palliative care in both countries was performed with peculiar interest. The documents that supported the analysis were: from the Brazilian context, Ordinance no. 825/2016; and, from the French scenario, the Triennial Plan for Palliative Care (2015 - 2018). To guide the analysis, the source referrals were authors linked to Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies. Since the years 2000, the home became a central element for the implementation of public health policies, especially those aimed at organizing the care towards people with chronic diseases and in palliative care. It is an approach with less economic costs for the State while it tends to meet the expectations of patients and families in the search for comfort and less painful ways to face the end of life.