Meaning of death among care workers of geriatric institutions in a death-avoidant culture: Qualitative descriptive analyses of in-depth interviews by Buddhist priests

by Yukan Ogawa, Akinori Takase, Masaya Shimmei, Shiho Toishiba, Chiaki Ura, Mari Yamashita, Tsuyoshi Okamura

Care workers’ views of clients’ death have not been explored in Japan because of a cultural tendency to avoid talking openly about death. However, given the arising problems in end-of-life care settings, such as abuse and burnout, understanding care workers’ views regarding death is essential for designing effective interventions. We had two main research questions: Do care workers in Japan have their own ideas about death after working in the landscape of dying and death? Do these ideas influence care workers’ professional lives?

We recruited interviewees based on a quantitative survey of care workers at 10 geriatric institutions in Tokyo. Among the 323 respondents, 23 survey respondents were willing to participate in an interview. After the scheduling process, nine individuals were able to participate in an in-depth interview.To overwhelm cultural avoidance regarding death that prevents care workers from talking openly about death, Buddhist priests conducted interviews in the current study. Physicians and researchers assisted the interviews.Because this was exploratory studies in which little is known about the topic in question, we adapted a qualitative descriptive approach.

Thematic analysis revealed that: 1) care workers had clear views about conditions of clients’ good death after working in the field of dying and death; 2) care workers were motivated by past experiences of being close to dying themselves; and 3) care workers regarded their care for the dying as an experience that enriched their lives. In addition, the results revealed that the concept of spiritual care in Japan is still its infancy among care workers because of its vague definition.

Care workers were willing to work for dying people with their view of death, and regarded their jobs as important opportunities for personal growth through caring for the dying.