Paliatívna medicína a liečba bolesti 1-2e/2018

When the beginning of the life is its end – death in the infant age

The death of a child is a great personal and family tragedy and demanding life experience. The death of an infant is a significant loss not only for the parents but also the medical staff facing this loss. The Czech Republic can certainly be considered one of the countries of the lowest infant mortality in the world. The decrease of infant mortality can definitely be viewed as a predominantly positive phenomenon; however, the contemporary society is missing experience of accompanying the dying children and grieving families. Parents whose child is dying or has died need help and support that should optimally be provided by a multidisciplinary team consisting of health care, social and other workers. Nevertheless, the key constituent of coping with the loss of a child is resilience of the parents. The objective of the contribution is to present the design of a research in resilience of parents whose child is dying or has died in the infant age.

Keywords: death, dying, child, parent, loss, bereaved, psychosocial support, resilience