[Treatment of the incurably ill]

Modern medicine has a) drastically prolonged the average lifetime, and b) dying from a relatively brief transition phase, has in many cases become a long-lasting process. This demands an increased orientation of medicine, away from the pure goal of "healing" to the task of a long-lasting accompaniment. This means geriatric rehabilitation and ultimately accompaniment for the dying. New ethical and juridical problems arise thereof for the doctor which will be discussed here. However, also society is challenged. We need systematic installment of rehabilitation activities into nursing homes, and a rehabilitation insurance.