‘Doing dying well’: Positive narratives of specialist palliative care occupational therapy from Ireland-based practitioners

Introduction: Occupational therapists working in specialist palliative care aim to enable clients with life-limiting illnesses to continue engaging in meaningful occupations. However, there is a dearth of literature illustrating positive examples of occupational therapy practice in specialist palliative care in Ireland. This study aimed to highlight the positive examples of occupational therapists assisting clients in ‘doing dying well’ in specialist palliative care. Method: Single semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine occupational therapists, working in six different specialist palliative care settings. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: The first theme identified occupational therapists’ perceptions of how clients continue to ‘ focus on living ’ when dying. The second theme identified the core elements of ‘ being client-centred ’ as (i) ‘being present’, (ii) ‘developing collaborative goals’ and (iii) ‘supporting families and caregivers’. The third theme ‘ holism ’ described clients’ (i) ‘holistic everyday occupations’ and (ii) ‘holistic unique occupations’ in ‘doing dying well’. Conclusion: Occupational therapists perceived that ‘doing dying well’ for clients can be facilitated by focusing on living until death, enabling continued engagement in occupations and roles. Adopting a truly client-centred and occupation-focused approach, occupational therapists can enable dying individuals to live and die as they want.