Preparing for a good death? Palliative care representations in the italian public television programming.

The difficulty in accepting death is a constant that transcends differences of time and place. The literature shows that the dying is often subjected to invasive procedures with significant consequences on individual wellbeing and public health. If death is hard to accept even for the practitioners, what happens in the broader population? What narratives surround the end of life? The study focuses on the Italian context and its transformations, the public's understanding of palliative care, and the television programs dealing with hospice and palliative care aired by the Italian public broadcasting company from the 1950s to the present day.

Curable or treatable? The implications of different definitions of illness when treating patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

People suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have complex health and care needs. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the gaps in the health and community service care provided to ALS patients. In order to ensure continuity of care, specialist centres have to build effective relationships with local primary health care services and community services, health managers, physicians, patients, families and the surrounding support networks.