Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Senior lecturer Naomi Richards, University of Glasgow,
- Second opponent: Associate professor Alfred Sköld, Aalborg University,
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Associate professor Anne Kari Tolo Heggestad, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor Carl Tollef Solberg, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Associate professor Lisbeth Thoresen, University of Oslo
Summary
This thesis is situated within the field of palliative and end-of-life care. It explores how couples navigate the preference for home death when one partner is seriously ill with cancer. Although many wish to die at home, the majority in Norway die in healthcare institutions. A key condition for home death is cohabitation with a partner, yet little is known about how this preference is discussed and managed within intimate relationships.
The thesis introduces the concept of “end-of-shared-life,” emphasizing that preferences for dying at home are shaped by mutual care, practical considerations, and pragmatism — all of which reflect the dynamics of close relationships, in both life and death. Based on three qualitative sub-studies, including 23 interviews with couples and bereaved spouses, this thesis explores how home death is understood, negotiated, and experienced.
Findings show that communication is multifaceted: meaning is conveyed through spoken words, silences, and embodied actions. Couples manage uncertainty through routines and implicit interaction, co-constructing meaning in the face of loss. The home emerges as a sanctuary of continuity and closeness, yet its existential significance is challenged as death approaches.
The thesis challenges contemporary ideals of openness surrounding death, illustrating how expectations of “a good death” may conflict with lived realities. Not everyone is willing or able to talk about serious illness and dying. Even when the patient passed away in a healthcare facility, the bereaved regarded institutional care as the most appropriate solution for all involved. This should not be seen as a failure to achieve a home death, but rather as a considered response that attends to the needs and circumstances of everyone affected. The thesis contributes a layered understanding of home death as a relational, negotiated process—guided by love, mutual care, ideals, realities, and the tension between independence and interdependence.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.