MUSICAL MEETINGS AS A RESOURCE IN ONCOLOGIC PALLIATIVE CARE FOR USERS OF A SUPPORT HOME

Abstract

This was a phenomenological investigation into musical meetings, structured according to the existential analytics of Martin Heidegger, that aimed at scrutinizing the perception of patients with cancer living in a support home. Seven users of the support home of the Rede Feminina de Combate ao Cancer in Maringá, Paraná, took part in the study, during which eight musical meetings took place during the months of January and February 2011. For the purposes of data collection individual interviews were used, starting with the following question: What do these musical meetings represent to you at this time of your life? During the process of understanding the investigated phenomenon, two ontological themes emerged: a feeling of being taken care of in the musical meetings; and transcending their existential facticity. It was observed that a meeting mediated by music represents a resource in oncologic palliative care nursing; and that it brings inspiration to the patients' daily life, instilling a feeling of being cared for and giving a new meaning to their being-in-the-world.