Conclusion The National End of Life Survey was the first time that, as a country, we had the opportunity to learn about bereaved family and friends’ experiences at a national level of the care their loved one received in the last months and days of their life. The Alliance undertook this deeper analysis of the findings from the National End of Life Survey to understand more specifically older people’s experiences at end of life. The need for this further analysis is evidenced by the large majority of those aged over 80 who die in Ireland. In this Telling It Like It Is report the Alliance note a number of key themes and valuable insights from the national survey data that inform and influence our understanding of the older person’s experience of end-of-life and bereavement care. The respondents to the survey identified a desire for clear and consistent communication at end of life. A key finding is that people need support from healthcare professionals to navigate and understand the important conversations that take place when a person is nearing end of life. Families have a desire to know what to expect, and older people must be given an opportunity to be kept informed and an opportunity to be involved, as much as they would like, in healthcare decisions affecting them. The survey found that confidence and trust in healthcare staff was the number one factor that influenced overall end-of-life care experiences, and this was across all settings. Receiving support in a timely manner was another key factor for people. One of the biggest challenges people who were dying at home were faced with was the availability of a GP to visit out of hours and also the geographical variation in accessing a GP. The survey asked about people’s experiences of care in various settings. In many cases, people received care across more than one of these settings in the last months and days of their lives. The importance of close integration and coordination between these settings and the services that are provided, was noted as a key element contributing to positive experiences for people. Prioritising the factors that facilitate greater continuity of care, which are in line with a person’s wishes, is an area that has the potential to significantly improve people’s end-of-life care. It is the express wish of many older people to be cared for and die at home. Access to the relevant healthcare professionals and key supports that play a role in enabling this to become a reality was a key feature of people’s experiences at end of life. The findings suggest that the proportion of people who had access to these healthcare professionals, varied according to the individual’s age and geographical location. Improving people’s access to these healthcare professionals and supports must be a priority regardless of age, diagnosis or location.
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Experiences of Older People at End of Life 2025
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