[The construction of a "good death" at different stages of life: reflections on the palliative care approach for adults and children].

This article deals with the vision of Palliative Care leading to a "good death" for adults and children. The differences and similarities between the care of adults and children are examined based on the scrutiny of textbooks, manuals and articles, as well as the observation of courses and congresses within the specialty, which focus on patients diagnosed as "beyond therapeutic cure possibilities." Health teams seek to provide care for the "bio-psycho-social-spiritual totality" of the patients and their family members, to offer "quality of life," with full autonomy and control of their symptoms. In accordance with the palliative care model, the social actors involved in care must accept the end of life inevitability. It is a question of ensuring a "good death," "with dignity," peaceful, accepted, transparent and socially shared, with the support of a multi-professional team. It is a complex configuration, as various factors and circumstances come into play. This is especially true in the case of children, when a paradox arises, since terminal illness at this stage of life - so highly valued in contemporary Western culture - constitutes a social drama.