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THE MAJORITY OF Irish people want to spend their dying days in their own homes, a new survey has found.
The survey, commissioned by the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF), found that 74% of people want to be cared for in their last days at home, though, as IHF chief executive Sharon Foley pointed out, in all likelihood, most people will die in a hospital setting.
“This survey clearly shows that there is a growing shift in the number of people whose preference is to be cared for in their dying days at home, up from 67% ten years ago to 74% today,” she said. “However the reality is a lot different and that option is not available to so many people. We need to continue to work to ensure that the services are in place to allow people have that choice.”
The research shows that of those who lost someone close to them in the last two years 38% died in a hospital, 26% at home, 12% in nursing/residential home and 11% in a hospice.
Almost 40% of those surveyed said they are unsure that their preferred location in their final stages of life will be available to them.
According to the results, there is a high level of general dissatisfaction among people about the level of care for people are are dying or terminally ill. Of the 891 respondents, 11% said care is poor and needs to be addressed urgently and 42% believe there is “much or urgent” room for improvement. Only 6% think care is excellent while half said it is good or could be improved.
The survey shows an increase in the appetite in Ireland for talking about death and dying with 57% of people saying there is not enough discussion, up from 51% in the 2004 survey. 23% of people say they are “completely comfortable” discussing death.
However there has been no change to what people think is important in their final days. 82% said their top preference is to be surrounded by loved ones, while 70% would prefer to have their condition managed by medication, to keep the pain at bay. Despite this, almost three quarters of people have not written an advance care directive or give direction on their end of life care preferences and 39% of people have not given any thought to making a will.
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We need proper hospice care in the home for those who need or want it. Great service, but sadly not available to all, and heavily reliant on the goodwill of others.
True, but it’s much easier to raise money for a bricks and mortar hospice, which is not actually where most people would prefer to die. It’s very difficult to say such things where someone is asking for donations though.
My Mother passed away in Milford Hospice in Febuary. She wanted to die at home but storm damage meant she had to go to the hospice temporarily. Unfortunately she never made it back home and passed away the following week. After spending every day with her there I told my husband that if the same situation arises with me I would like to die there surrounded by my family not at home. We could never have provided her with the facilities and care she received. It was outstanding
Ah thats so sad about your mother Kate. I am so sorry
Our beloved brother who was only in his 40′s passed away in Milford Hospice. We had the same experience as ye had. His care was outstanding. After battling cancer he had a tough year and he was pain free to the very end. He felt loved and special and was spoilt rotten by the staff. They couldnt do enough for us either. The staff there are truly angels from Heaven. Very special place..
I would want to be at home when I die, nowhere else
Is there a simple answer to the question why?
I’d love to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandad……can’t say the same for the 37 people on his bus that day…..
My gran hated hospitals and wanted to die at home. In the end she ended up leaving her home unconcious to go to the hospital even though my aunt and mother did their damned best to care for her at home. In the 6 days in hospital she had great care that I couldnt fault. 2 nights before she died she woke up and chatted to my sister and me who were on duty that night. She thought she was in her own bed at home and thought we were visiting her. That was the last time she was awake so in her mind at least she was at home.
Its a terrible time to go through and I would encourage everyone to make their wishes known to their families and for their families to honour those wishes as best they can. Sometimes they dont work out as planned though.
Cheery stuff.
Can we not just enjoy the Friday feeling?
I’ll probably die of thirst if I can’t pay my water charges :)
Who’s going to vote “yes, I want to die in hospital, up to the eyes on medication”?
Yet another pointless story.
Niall, people dying in hospital are generally treated using the same palliative medication protocols as those at home. The difference is the setting, and the potential for well meaning but futile additional interventions.
Some people want to die in hospital to save their family from constantly remembering them sick and dying at home. That’s what I’d prefer, and I have experience of other family members saying the exact same thing. If I have to be heavily medicated for pain I’d rather do so in a hospital and give my family a choice of seeing me like that or not. It makes no difference to me if I’m that medicated but it may mean a massive easing of their pain in the months and years to follow my death.
I guess that the other quarter would rather just keep on living?
A parachute not opening… that’s a way to die. Getting caught in the gears of a combine… having your nuts bit off by a Laplander, that’s the way I wanna go…
I like the late Maurice Neligans response. He said that he wanted to die aged 97, shot by a jealous husband.
“though almost three-quarters have not written any kind of care directive or given an indication of what they want to family members”
Advanced Care Orders have little or no legal standing in Ireland due to the usual absence of any substantive legislation. While it can be useful to formulate a care plan in very carefully specified circumstances it is bizarre to even mention advanced directives in this general population survey.
If anyone is interested in such things this contains a brief summary:
http://www.medicalprotection.org/ireland/booklets/managing-the-risks-in-general-practice/advance-directives
Why was there a survey done about this in the first place ??? Pointless !!!!
NIt so pointless if you are near death
I spend quite a lot of my time working with older and dying patients, to them it’s act very important.
Typical Ireland, a story about how people want to die?
What about dying on the job?
How very convenient for the health service ,lets hope its not like” care in the community” which consists of assistance for 15 mins a day ,and your on your own for 23 hours 45 mins.its possible for some people ,it depends on their condition ,others need extensive care that can only be provided by hospitals or hospices.
have your say