The dying person: an existential being until the end of life

Abstract

This article explores the experience of death from the perspective of existential philosophy, for the purpose of finding ways to humanize end-of-life nursing care. A person in his or her final days is seen by the caregiver as a being seeking the continual creation of his human becoming, from the experience of sickness to death. From the moment the torment of suffering begins, a person needs a presence of humanistic professionalism that embraces the values of the nursing profession.