A qualitative study and development project about care, ethnicity, religion and life when facing death.
From 2009-2012, Mette Raunkiær, associate professor, MSc in Social Science, PhD, Metropolitan University College, Copenhagen carried out a qualitative study and development project on ethnicity and life when facing death.
The aim was to improve initiatives to benefit older adults with minority ethnic background who are in the process of dying, and their families. Residents, whether in nursing homes or at home, family members, and caregivers were all part of the project, and the collected material was analysed within a theoretical framework that focused on everyday life.
The report shows that getting to grips with death is not a matter of country of origin or religion. It is largely a family matter, and to a lesser extent a matter to be discussed with professionals.
When families relate to death it is all about saying goodbye, it is about forgiveness, inheritance, dress code after the passing, and choice of grave. Some of the older adults express a wish to be buried in Denmark, some in their country of origin, while some are in doubt. The families in doubt explain that their concerns deal with the sense of belonging, whether it is to the country of origin or the country of residence. The report (in Danish) shows three ways of relating to the dead body and the funeral: 1. A wish to combine various religious and cultural rituals, 2. A wish to stick to original religious and cultural rituals, 3. A wish to be pragmatic about the matter.