In our society of instant solutions, with the emphasis on success and the immediate gratification of our needs, we struggle with the knowledge that our life is temporary and fragile, that we will definitely die one day. Death is something which we try to put out of our minds. It is something for the day “when we or our loved ones – in the distant future – are old”. The fact is, however, that we will all die.With the development of medical science, more and more people are dying of illnesses which offer a longer period of preparation for death. How do we support or guide people in this time of terminal illness?