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南京医科大学学报（社会科学版）京医科大学学报（社会科学版） 第4期 总第129期
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Journal of Nanjing Medical University（Social Sciences）of Nanjing Medical University（Social Sciences） 2025年8月
Journal
Preparatory end⁃of⁃life care and the embedding pathways of social
work in private medical and senior care institutions
CHEN Zelin，LIN Yijing
College of Health，Fujian Medical University，Fuzhou 350122，China
Abstract：Taking the nursing home of a private tertiary hospital in Fujian Province as an example，this
article examines how private medical and senior care institutions implement preparatory end⁃of⁃life care through
internal cooperation based on the analysis framework of Relationship ⁃ Space ⁃ Function，as well as how such
practices influence the quality of life for older adults in their later years. The study reveals that nursing homes
promote a semi ⁃ institutionalized preparatory end ⁃ of ⁃ life care by developing quasi ⁃ familial relationships and
creating an enclosed space. However，this practice suffers from the lack of medical social workers，insufficient
depth in service relationship，constrained service space，and limited effectiveness of preparatory end⁃of⁃life
care. To address these challenges，institutions can take full advantages of the integrative strengths of medical
social workers to link the caring relationships and use professional methods to connect the caring space.
Furthermore，institutions can also employ the policy advocacy functions of medical social workers to reinforce
the effectiveness of preparatory end⁃of⁃life care.
Key words：end⁃of⁃life care；palliative care；integrated medical and senior care；social work
