Most people included in the survey, were over 80 years of age when they died. Table 1 shows the ages of the people who died. Table 1. Age profile of people who died Age group Number of participants Percentage (%) 18-59 years 253 6% 60-69 years 441 10% 70-79 years 951 22% 80-89 years 1,634 38% 90+ years 1,026 24% The three most commonly reported illnesses at death were cancer, dementia and heart conditions (Figure 1) . Other illnesses included lung conditions, influenza or pneumonia and a large number of survey participants identified the illness the person had at death as ‘something else’ (n=864). Profile of bereaved family and friends Of the family and friends who completed the survey, 68% (n=2,981) were female, 32% (n=1,390) were male, and 0.2% (n=10) responded ‘Other’ or ‘Prefer not to say’ for their gender. The majority of respondents were either a daughter or son of the person who died (Table 2) . Table 2. Relationship of person who completed the survey to the person who died Relationship to the person who died % of survey participants Son/daughter 54% Husband/wife/civil partner/partner 24% Other relative 9% Brother/sister 8% Parent 2% Friend/neighbour 1% Other 3%
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Telling It Like It Is
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