Is dignity therapy feasible to enhance the end of life experience for people with motor neurone disease and their family carers?

This is a cross-sectional study utilizing a single treatment group and a pre/post test design. The study population will comprise fifty people diagnosed with MND and their nominated family carers. Primarily quantitative outcomes will be gathered through measures assessed at baseline and at approximately one week after the intervention. Outcomes for participants include hopefulness, spirituality and dignity. Outcomes for family carers include perceived caregiver burden, hopefulness and anxiety/depression. Feedback and satisfaction with the intervention will be gathered through a questionnaire.This detailed research will explore if dignity therapy has the potential to enhance the end of life experience for people with MND and their family carers, and fill a gap for professionals who are called on to address the spiritual, existential and psychosocial needs of their MND patients and families.ACTRN Trial Number: ACTRN12611000410954As a result of elevated interest in hastened death at the end of life by people with motor neurone disease (MND), also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), numerous studies have examined factors that affect quality of life, psychological health, and end-of-life distress in this population. Findings indicate that quality of life in MND-diagnosed individuals is independent of physical decline [1,2]; that interest in hastened death is correlated with hopelessness [3,4]; and that MND patients with higher levels of spirituality and sense of meaning experience less end of life distress [5,6]. This research has resulted in a call to develop psychosocial interventions for use with the MND population that will bolster hopefulness, spirituality, and meaning [7,8]; however, very little work has been done to develop and implement such interventions.MND is a family disease, and family carers carry an exceptional burden by providing a high level of care, often for the duration of the illness. Family carers of people with MND are more depressed than