Development of Palliative Care and Hospice Services in Germany. A Case Study

The paper shows how, over a period from the 1980s until today, individually experienced pressure to act, inspiration, and commitment has led to collective solutions for improving care for the dying. The German case study further exemplifies how creative solutions can be devised to empower society and its members. We found a remarkable model of providing extensive care services to the dying and their relatives based on voluntary involvement in a medium-sized city in Germany. The city’s hospice and palliative care services were investigated based on a qualitative network analysis