Previous research has highlighted the enormous contributions that family and friends also make to supporting home-based care. A report from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) 24 found that, in the last year of life, unpaid help from friend and family networks accounted for 42% of the total cost of care received. The report further highlighted that the levels of care received are not equitable across the older population. People who lived alone received less help with everyday activities, but this shortfall was not matched by increased use of formal healthcare services. As a result, older people living alone received less care on average. SUMMARY MANY OLDER PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO BE CARED FOR AT HOME, WHEN POSSIBLE. KEY SUPPORTS AND ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS THAT MAKE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE TO THEIR OVERALL EXPERIENCE OF CARE SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE, IN LINE WITH AN INDIVIDUAL’S WISHES.
24 End-of-life experience for older adults in Ireland: results from the Irish longitudinal study on ageing (TILDA) . May et al., BMC Health Services Research, 2021
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Telling It Like It Is
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