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The bachelor's thesis "Spiritual accompaniment about dying and palliative patients" deals with the spiritual care and approach of a seriously ill patient, is not only his body and social environment but especially his soul. Although modern secularized society is technologically advanced, despite these facts, the spiritual need in our health care system is minimally themed. This is more concerned of palliative care and the care of the dying, where the goal is no longer the cure of the disease, but the treatment of pain, the symptoms of the disease and the accompaniment to a reconciled departure from this world. My work deals with these questions in more detail and clarifies which spiritual approach is possible to calm the patient through believe and how it is possible to mature spiritually even in unmanageable moments.

This thesis focuses on the ethical dilemmas that arise when accompanying terminally ill people. The solution of ethical problems must always be approached individually. We must always take into account the ethical principles of the patient and his/her family, and we must do everything possible to preserve the highest quality of human life. Furthermore, the thesis describes the benefits of palliative care in the dying process and the importance of listening to the needs of the patients.

The diploma thesis focuses on the theme of death, dying and grief in modern German picture books. The theoretical basis of this thesis is, in addition to the chapter on death, its concept in literature, the children's world and theology, a chapter on picture books and the afterlife from the perspective of world religions. In the practical part, selected works are interpreted and compared with each other based on their content. The aim of the thesis is to prove that death has never been a taboo subject in children's literature, but on the contrary, a rich subject, which is popularly depicted. Among other things, the thesis shows that each narrator and protagonist views death in a slightly different way, treats and evaluates it differently. Nevertheless, the final reconciliation is thematized in all texts. KEYWORDS Death, dying, literature, children, adolescents, consolation, sorrow, picture books

This bachelor thesis deals with the issue of hospice care. Its goal is to compare the perception of hospice care of those people who had some personal experience with it and those who have not dealt with it. Another goal is to find out how this experience affects their perspective of dying. To achieve these goals the quantitative research strategy has been used. The method of data collecting has been realized via questionnaires. The researching cohort consisted of individuals whose relatives used the services of sv. Jan N. Neumann Hospice in Prachatice and also of the individuals who have not used such services. 89 respondents have participated on these questionnaires. The hypotheses were tested by the contingency table, chi-squared test and the T-test. The results of the research have shown that the experience with hospice care affects the potential selection of hospice care for the respondent himself or for his relatives. It also affects the appropriateness of hospice care for the last days of a dying person, and it projects into the appraisal of deceasing in hospice. The experience with hospice care also affects the arrangements for death - those with no experience are more likely unprepared. On the other hand, the experience with hospice care has not affect the appraisal of deceasing at home as a proper place for dying. It does not even have an impact on whether the respondents think or talk about their own mortality. The experience with hospice care also does not affect their opinion about the necessity of increasing the support and the public awareness about this type of care. It also does not affect the amount of fear or anxiety about respondent's death. With the issue of awareness about hospice care those respondents who had previous experiences with hospice care proved more knowledge. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to encourage the public awareness about hospice care.

The aim of the bachelor's thesis was to find out what attitudes social workers in nursing homes take towards the dying and death of their clients and how social workers deal with the subject of dying and death. In practical part, the main research questions were answered: What attitude do social workers take to dying and death in nursing homes? What stress coping strategies are used by social workers in nursing homes when faced with the death of clients? A qualitative research strategy using semi-structured interviews has been chosen to achieve the objective. The research set consisted of a total of seven social workers of nursing homes on the territory of the South Bohemia Region. The research files were selected by random selection. An open-coding method was used to evaluate the data obtained. Research has shown that the attitude of social workers in nursing homes towards the dying and death of their clients has changed considerably since their careers began. It is clear from the research that social workers did not experience dying and death before taking up the practice, only in the family circle. It is therefore understandable that, for many of them, the death of their first client was a "shock." Social workers who have been involved in research have learned to work with this topic over time during their experience. Thanks to forms of help from organisations where they practice their profession, they no longer experience the stress associated with it. The most frequently listed forms were supervision, informal support and palliative care training. This Bachelor thesis can serve as information material not only for future and current social workers who encounter the subject of dying and death, but also for the general public.

The bachelor thesis deals with the topic of how hospice care workers perceive and talk about death and dying. Much of the work that discusses this topic views it from the perspective of patients or relatives or loved ones. This paper aims to describe how hospice care workers work with the everyday presence of death. In the first part, the thesis discusses theoretical concepts that are applicable to hospice care and hospice work. Primarily, the thesis focuses on the topics of coping with death, tabooing death, and working with the body. It is qualitative research based on key informant techniques. Purposeful sampling was used to obtain informants. Ten semi- structured in-depth interviews were conducted with hospice and palliative care workers. In the practical part, the findings from the interviews obtained in a hospice in the Central Bohemia region are elaborated. Thematic analysis helped me to identify three main themes, which are, coping, working with the body and the forms and concepts of death. The thesis attempts to develop the existing research existing on this topic. It is important to understand how workers work with death and how they perceive it due to how stressful this work is, but also because the current society is aging and there will be a need for more workers and overall hospice care.

The thesis deal with the theme of death and dying. Above all, it focuses on the ethical issues of palliative care oriented to quality of life for terminal patients. The main goal is to formulate ethical principles of care, reflections on the ethics of care for patients with terminal illnesses and difining ethical problems and dilemmas associated with the process of dying.

This diploma thesis deals with the phenomenon of near death and its influence on human spirituality. In the first part of the thesis, I first define the concept of death in terms of medicine, psychology, and religion. In the second I focus on the very phenomenon of near death, where I point out the important works of two authors Raymond Moody and Elisabeth Kübler- Ross. Then I mention today's view and the various concepts that explain this phenomenon. The third part is devoted to human spirituality. Here I elaborate the concepts of spiritual life, values, rituals, and spirituality of a person after a trauma. In the fourth part I deal with qualitative research. Here I am trying to answer the questions, to what extent the experience of near death affects a person's spiritual perception. Does this phenomenon also affect the person concerned to change values, rituals, views on death and the meaning of life? A very important part of this research is also the testimonies of three respondents who experienced this phenomenon and gave an interview with consent. In the discussion part of the work, I then try to compare and evaluate all the processed information with the studied literature.

This bachelor thesis is focused on finding out the attitude of lay audience to the problematic of palliative care. Based on the set goal, the following hypotheses were created: H1: The attitude of the lay audience to the problematic of palliative care varies according to age. H2: The attitude of the lay audience to the problematic of palliative care varies according to the highest attained level of education. H3: The attitude of the lay audience to the problematic of palliative care differs based on previous experience. In the theoretical part of the work, the palliative care is defined and divided, it is also defined for whom it is intended, where this care can be met and what are the most common needs of patients. It also presents important historical data in the development of palliative care. The research part was carried out with the help of quantitative survey. The data were collected in the form of online surveys, which consisted of 20 questions focused on palliative care, dying and death. The research group consisted of 180 respondents. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used in the statistical evaluation of the data. The research confirmed all 3 established hypotheses. Due to age, it was found out that older people perceive the greater importance of palliative care and more often associate it with the care of the sick and poor, compared to younger ones. Furthermore, the research showed that people with higher education more often combine palliative care with care for the terminally ill and care for the entire family of the sick. The last hypothesis found out that people, who experienced palliative care, more often understand the benefits of the care and combine the palliative care with care for the incurably ill. Considering the results, an information leaflet, which aim is to contribute to the enlightenement of the topic of palliative care for the lay audience, was prepared.

The thesis deals with the topic of children's participation at funerals from younger school age to adolescence and examines the significance of personal participation or non-participation in funerals of close persons. In the theoretical part, it describes the importance of funerals from various points of view and describes ecclesiastical and secular funeral rites. It focuses attention on the psychological perception of death and burial in children of defined age categories, on interviews and on the moral and ethical point of view. He comments on the rituals of children. In the practical part, the empirical research reveals the lived experience of the respondents, from which we have the opportunity to find out the significance of personal participation or non-participation of children at funerals of close persons in the context of the family environment.

The aim of the bachelor's thesis is to deal with the motive of death in the visual arts at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The work introduces and analyzes various motives related to death and dying and their changes over the course of twenty years. It follows the content shift of these motives, such as the frequency of their occurrence, their connection with the development of society etc. Last but not least, the work introduces the topic from a sociological point of view, and therefore touches on statistical data on mortality and common causes of death in the years 1890 to 1910, etc.

This bachelor thesis focuses on identifying the needs of the dying and family caregivers in a mobile hospice. The aim of the thesis is to find out what the needs of patients and carers in a mobile hospice are and how the hospice meets these needs. The bachelor thesis is divided into theoretical and practical parts. The theoretical part deals with the services of mobile hospice, the most common problems that are solved for patients, their caregivers and also for the bereaved. The practical part focuses on the research and its results. The research was conducted using semi-structured interview and observation method. The research revealed that the most common problems are concerns about pain, loneliness, and securing medication that will control other negative symptoms of the illness. In addition, the concern of the family and hospice staff is important to the patients. Psychological support, help with care, medical devices are most important for carers. The research part of the thesis showed that mobile hospice helps to meet the needs of the dying and their family members. All respondents were maximally satisfied with the care provided by the mobile hospice. The results of the bachelor thesis will be provided to mobile hospices in the South Bohemia region, where they can be interpreted as feedback to the entire mobile hospice team.

The subject of this bachelor's thesis is "Home hospice care from the point of view of the nurse". It consists of parts theoretical and research. The theoretical section describes: home hospice care, its definition and for whom it is intended; necessary equipment, instrumentation or personnel: the meaning and composition of a multidisciplinary team; the extent of the care and role the nurse holds for the dying, family and survivors or description of dying according to Elisabeth Kübler Ross. This thesis includes overview of the hospice care agencies operating in the South Bohemia Region according to the expertise of 926 and last but not least the legislative regulation of the home hospic care. The research part was processed in the form of qualitative research with the main aim of finding out the nurse's point of view on home hospice care. Partial targets have been also set - to determine the extent of nurse's care in home hospice care and see how nurses themselves assess their workload and identify the factors complication the delivery of this care. Research questions are set for each objective aim. The data collection took the form of semi-structured interviews, which were carried out with nurses working at home hospic care agencies in the South Bohemia Region. The conversations were recorded on a dictaphone with permission of the interviewed nurses and then literally transcribed into written form. A total of six categories and twenty subcategories were created. The research took place between February and March 2022 and the size of the research file was based on the saturation of the responses of the interviewees, as a result eight nurses. The result of the thesis can be published for both lay and professional publics, which could result in increased awarness in families where a dying member is located, who wishes to die at home, or increase nurse's interest in the field.

The aim of the bachelor thesis is to describe the role that a social worker plays in a multidisciplinary hospice team. The subject of my research will therefore be primarily the job description of a social worker, the requirements for his personal qualities and abilities that arise from his position within the multidisciplinary team. The method for processing the work will be a search of professional literature.

When choosing a topic for my bachelor's thesis, I chose the title: The phenomenon of dying from the perspective of hospice care workers and employees of hospitals for the long-term sick. This topic is very important to me from several points of view. One of them is that I have been dealing with the topic of the sick, the old, the dying since I was a child, because my whole family works in the field of caring for others. Another impetus for me was to learn better communication with the client and consolidate an overview of the issue. The aim of the work is to compare the care of the dying and the staff between the two facilities. The first is the hospice movement and the second is the LDN department. Furthermore, what are the requirements for caregivers and care in these facilities and, last but not least, the perception of dying and death from their perspective. However, my work turned out differently than intended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which closed the facility selected for my work and made it unable to conduct the interview. The content of the thesis deals not only with the theory of dying, death, but also with practical things, which include, for example: the needs of clients, the question of faith, how pastoral care and financing of hospices. Many interesting topics to think about,...

Name and surname of the author: Steven Hastrdlo Institution: Charles University Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové, Department of Non-medical Studies Title: Perception of death by General Nursing students Supervisor: doc. PhDr. Jana Kutnohorská, CSc. Number of pages: 129 Number of attachements: 8 Year of defense: 2021 Keywords: death, dying, palliative care, euthanasia, perception of death This thesis deals with perception of death by General Nursing students. The thesis consists of two parts. The first part deals with theoretical knowledge about death and dying, comunication with the dying, care of the dying and care of the dead body. There are also coverd issues of euthanasia, assisted suicide and living will. Prakctical part analyzes the outcome of a quantitative research, concerning the perception of death by General Nursing students. The research was carried out using a questionnaire survey within students in 1st and 3rd year of General Nursing studies. There were set three goals, all of wich were achieved. Interesting outcome was, that respondents with fear of death prevailed only in 1st year of the studies, in 3rd year they represented a minority. Outcome of the research can be used in pedagogy, paliative care and for further research.

The aim of the bachelor's thesis will be to deal with the motive of death in the visual arts at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and during the First World War. It is a time of many social changes, when the number of suicides increased despite the increasing life expectancy. The work introduces and analyzes various motives related to death and dying and their changes over the course of almost thirty years. It will follow the content shift of these motives, such as the frequency of their occurrence, their connection with the development of society etc. In the context of the First World War, the bachelor's thesis will also include selected works created after 1918 related to the events in that times. Last but not least, the work introduces the topic from a sociological point of view, and therefore touches on statistical data on mortality and common causes of death in the years 1890 to 1918, etc.

Euthanasia is still a topical and highly controversial issue in the Czech Republic. On the one hand - that is, the argumentation for - is perceived as a request for killing out of regret and get rid of suffering, on the other hand - the argument against it - is more associated with belief and fear of its abuse. The theoretical part of the bachelor thesis contains researches from available sources, the practical part illustrates opinions of different age groups on euthanasia issues. The research was conducted using the questionnaire method. The aim of the bachelor thesis was to find what they think about this the students of secondary schools, as well as their parents and possibly grandparent.

The bachelor thesis is a theoretical analysis of the process of parting with the dying / deceased and its influence on the survivors. The introduction describes the process of dying and death in terms of history and from the present perspective. The following chapter describes the basic forms of parting, as we can understand them in the context of death and dying. Next chapters are devoted to individual forms of palliative care and dying in hospital treatment or at home. Subsequently, the work deals with death itself, its influence on the survivors and the process of mourning. The final part describes the possibilities of social work and counselling for both the dying and the survivors.

This rigorous thesis pursues evolution of specialized palliative care and looks at the same time into problems of contemporary legislation and current legal frame of for care in mobile hospices in the Czech Republic. It thus builds on my previous master thesis on euthanasia, which discussed the Act on dignified death submitted to parliamentary debate by Zlatuška, M.P. (ANO) on May 27, 2016. Euthanasia is often perceived as an alternative to palliative care. There are several different forms of palliative care - hospice palliative care, special beds/stations for palliative care in hospitals and care in a mobile hospice. The analytical part of the thesis will include analysis of palliative and hospice care issues based on existing documents and secondary analyses. Methodologically, qualitative approach based on semi-structural interviews with relevant actors from political as well as healthcare spheres will be used. Political actors will be represented by the Ministry of Health and health insurance companies. Attention in the healthcare sphere will be focused on providers of palliative care and founders of hospice facilities and mobile hospice care facilities. Under certain conditions, the latter ones can, however, become also political actors. Part of the qualitative research will be analysis of...

This bachelor thesis is titled The Issues of Death and Dying from the Perspective of a Paramedic. The topic of death and dying has always been a part of human life, especially in health care. The views on death and its definition have been constantly changing throughout the centuries, as there was a change in the care for the dying. Death is omnipresent and the paramedic is expected to cope with it, accept it, or else talk about it. At the same time the paramedic has to act professionally during difficult responses in the field, he or she is expected to act humane and with respect towards the patient or the grieving. The main goal of the thesis was to determine how the paramedics perceive the issue of death and dying in the conditions of pre-hospital medical care (PMC), and also to compare their experience in these conditions. Through this goal were then set down questions for this study: What are the experiences of paramedics with death and dying in the conditions of pre-hospital medical care? How do they perceive the issue of death and dying in these conditions? The thesis is divided into the theoretical and practical part. In the theoretical part is concerned with definitions of death and dying, their history and ethical level. Death and dying are then described when happening directly in the of pre-hospital medical care, their specifics, and also the position of paramedics themselves. In the more extensive, empirical part of the thesis there was employed a qualitative inquiry with the use of semi-structured interview with paramedics working at a previously chosen centre of emergency medical services. Acquired responses were analyzed by using the method of open coding and categorization. The data were interpreted by a technique of card sorting. The inquiry provided answers for both of the research questions. We compared the experiences of paramedics with the given issues and interpreted their perception of death in PMC. The results express that paramedics consider the course of dying in pre-hospital medical care more problematic than the death itself. Also, the majority of paramedics agree that the most mentally challenging are the medical responses involving children, especially their resuscitation. The results of the analysis also showed that paramedics after finishing their studies did not feel informed and educated enough in the field of death and palliative medicine. The thesis thus may serve as a supplementary educational material for students of final years of the paramedic study programme. The results may also serve as a foundation for a more profound studies or inquiries.

The bachelor thesis focuses on the post-social worker in the hospice multidisciplinary team. What is his role in the multidisciplinary hospice team. What is his job description and his working abilities and skills. Next, the thesis describes the forms of hospice care and histories in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, I focus on the patient's needs for dying. In general, I also focus on palliative care and its division into general and specialized.

The death of a loved one is currently a very common topic, and it is important for a social worker to keep it in mind. This thesis is called "The Phenomena of Death in a Social Worker's Job". The theoretical part was made by using analysed relevant literature, chosen by snowballing sampling. This thesis is divided into three chapters. The first two chapters focus on the theory and definition of death, anticipation and sudden death, suicide, mourning and options to help the survivors. The third chapter contains the practical part, with research data, including charts and graphical interpretation. The goal of this empiric research is to use semi-structured online surveys to answer the main research question: "How do students of the second year of postgraduate study of major SACH at HTF UK feel about their readiness to handle death of their clients and confrontation with survivors during their work?" I was trying to find out whether students at our faculty are considering this topic and how they feel about it. The research shows that students do not feel prepared to encounter these topics during their work. The most important part of the thesis I consider a subchapter, which contains interviews with social workers who have already encountered deaths and survivors during their work. I am using these...

The diploma thesis deals with the topic of palliative care in Intensive and Resuscitation Care units. Intensive care aims to save lives, while palliative care accompanies the patients and improves their last moments. Although it would appear that these two fields has not much in common, this is not the case. Both touch the death and work with people who balance between life and death. The theoretical part describes the various fields, including their history. The chapter is further dedicated to the connection of these two areas. The following chapters cover the ethical aspects of palliative care provided in Intensive and Resuscitation Care units. Following chapters deal with dying and death. The last chaptersof the theoretical part are focused on the relatives of dying and deceased patients. The aim of the thesis was to map the awareness of medical staff working in Intensive and Resuscitation Care, discover the approach of medical staff working in Intensive and Resuscitation Care to the provision of palliative care in Intensive Care units, to identify problems and shortcomings on the part of medical staff in providing palliative care to Intensive and Resuscitation Careunitsand to identify the factors which influence the medical staff in the provision of palliative care in Intensive and Resuscitation Care units. The research was carried out at the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care of one of the South Bohemian hospitals. Results are showing that the medical staff working at the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care staff have excellent theoretical knowledge in the field of palliative care. They try to provide the best possible care to patients and do their best for them. Despite all this, problems related to insufficient and inappropriate communication were found, which is underlined by the environment in which it takes place. Due to the great specificity of the ward, it is often very difficult to ensure the best possible conditions for the dying patient and his beloved ones. Another shortcoming was the absence of psychological support and care for medical professionals, who are constantly exposed to stress. There was also a complete absence of support and care for the bereaved which is part of and a prerequisite for providing quality palliative care. Based on the interviews, we can say that at Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care is highly educated stuffandthey do their work with passion and want to provide it with the best possible quality. However, in this case, it would be appropriate to offer healthcare professionals sufficient training opportunities in palliative care and communication. The results of this work could help to minimize the problems identified and could serve as a basis for lectures and seminars for Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care staff.

The bachelor thesis submitted deals with the topic of palliative treatment of dying people. Its aim is to map the approaches used by nurses during palliative treatment of dying patients admitted either to hospitals for long-term patients (LDN) or to inpatient hospices. This work explores the differences in treatment and in meeting the requirements of these hospitals. Three research questions were identified in the present work: 1. "How does a nurse take care of patient's biological needs when he/she is effectively dying?" 2. "How does the nurse take care of patient 's psychological and spiritual requirements?" 3. "How does the nurse take care of patient's social needs?" The research part was conducted methodologically and qualitatively by using the technique of semi-structured interviews with nurses who work either in LDNs or in inpatient hospices. The interviews were steered on the basis of a prepared questionnaire. The research group consisted of a total of sixteen nurses. The interviews were recorded and subsequently typed. The gained data yielded evidence that was put it through the coding method (via "pencil and paper" technique) in order to obtained the categorized results. Based on the obtained information, the research shows the differences in terms of treatment provided in hospitals for long-term patients (LDN) and in inpatient hospices. Whereas LDN nurses are focused primarily on patients' biological needs, nurses in inpatient hospices, apart from providing the biological needs of patients, focus more on spiritual and psychosocial requirements. Another difference can be seen in the individual approach to patients provided adequately in inpatient hospice. This difference is justified by LDN nurses' saying that they have to look after a large number of patients while facing a lack of medical staff. Despite the difficult conditions, LDN nurses try to ensure that this lack of staff is not reflected in their work. Clearly, many of them take their work as a mission. The bachelor thesis can be a source of information for both nursing students and nurses. A brochure has been created that can help nurses work with patients who are terminally ill.

After 1989, we have seen a great development of hospice and palliative care in the Czech Republic. At that period, the first hospice institutions came into being which later broadened their concepts on providing also the at-home care. The main aim of this thesis is to characterize the available concepts of the care of the dying patients in their home environment in the Czech Republic. The initial theoretical section introduces the definitions of the basic concepts of palliative and hospice care; the characteristics of the key institutions providing the at-home care; and deals with the hospice and palliative care legislative. The practical part, based on the use of the qaulitative research design and semi-structured interviews, helps to show the experience of various providers of palliative services. The analytic part depicts two concepts of the care of the dying people, which were identified on the base of the linterviews and which are currently available to patients. Keywords: hospic care, palliative care, mobile hospic, specialized mobile palliative care general practitioner, home care, social services, care of the dying patients, dying, death

The aim of the work is to expound the Christian concept of death based on biblical texts. The opening chapter briefly deals with some passages of the Old Testament related to the subject. The section devoted to the New Testament focuses on the texts associated with the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ, from which Christian hope derives. The Exegesis of the 15th chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians provides more details of Paul's defence of the resurrection from the dead with regard to the doubts that have occured in this church community. The last part of the work tries to reflect on Christian faith face to face with death based on personal experience. This section also emphasizes the irreplaceable role of the Church, where faith is born, strengthened, shared and passed on in the community of mutual love that has the transcendent dimension.

This bachelor's thesis deals with dignified dying from the subjective point of view of nurses. Whether it is possible to die with dignity in the hospital. What is important to ensure a dignified death. Which factors affect the quality of care for dying people. What are the needs of dying people. Furthermore, the attitudes of nurses to education in this area and also to the creation of palliative teams in hospitals. The empiric part is in the form of a qualitative research with the use of a semistructured interview. The focus group was made of 9 nurses working on hospital wards.

In my bachelor thesis I deal with the issue of palliative care and intellectual disabilities. The aim of the work is to find out what experience palliative care workers have with people with mental disabilities and how they approach these clients. A partial goal of my bachelor's thesis is to find out how hospice service workers manage the psychological burden associated with their profession. The work is structured into two parts: theoretical and practical. In the theoretical part of the work in the first chapter I deal with the concepts of palliative and hospice care, it also contains the definition of concepts such as death, dying or human dignity. In the second chapter I describe mental disabilities and give its classification. In the last third chapter of the theoretical part of the work I deal with the issue of palliative care and intellectual disability. The practical part contains the stated goal of the research survey, methodology of re-search work and research questions. Qualitative research was chosen and the method of data collection is a semi-structured interview. A research file is also described here. Interpretation of qualitative data follows and research questions are answered. The research points to the small experience of palliative care workers with people with mental disabilities and the approach of hospice staff to clients with mental disabilities, which is mostly positive, but due to their insufficient readiness for clients with mental disabilities, work with these clients is problematic. The theoretical part of the work can be used by students of pedagogical or social disci-plines. The practical part of the work will inform about the possibilities of people with mental disabilities to use the hospice service.

This bachelor thesis deals with the issue of family carers who care for their loved ones dying in their own home environment. It considers the family as part of the home hospice care. My work tries to outline the importance of the family in the care of a dying member by means of knowledge from the literature and my own practice. The thesis is divided into three chapters. The first part describes the characteristics of palliative and hospice care with a focus on home care, its availability, funding and state support. The chapter also focuses on the work of a social worker in home hospice care and the ethical aspects of this care. The second chapter deals with death and dying and specifies dying and death at home (environment). The last chapter focuses on the family, which generally describes the importance of family care with the specifics it entails, including the burden placed on the family.

The main topic of these theses is the use of volunteers in hospice care with the aim of creating conditions for their activities. The theoretical part is devoted to the characteristics of volunteering, hospice care and the specifics of volunteering in hospice care. Its main part focuses on a description of what a good volunteer program should generally include and what specifics are added to it in the area of hospice care. The creation of conditions for volunteer activity takes place primarily in the field of correct selection, training, motivation, supervision and evaluation of volunteers. The practical part of the theses is focused on an example of an established volunteer program in the community palliative care unit "Cesta domů". The analysis describes all the essential areas defined in the theoretical part of the theses. The reason for choosing this organization is its 15-year experience with a volunteer program and the specific status of a volunteer in a community palliative care unit.

Palliative care is new multidisciplinary field that aims towards development and continuity of the end-of-life care and it has undergone a relatively short evolution in the Czech Republic. The Bachelor work concerns care of patients with serious life-threatening disease. It describes development of palliative care and conducts a survey of economic end legislative background that impacts its integration into the health and social system. It provides comprehensive insight into needs of terminally ill patients and outlines alternatives of their solution. The final qualifying work is theoretical, and its aim is to cover the care specifics in the Czech Republic and in selected countries of the EU. It subjects areas that are related to development and quality of the palliative care, i.e. educating of physician, nurses and other professionals, legislation and funding.