Most people facing the end of their life want to die at home, but few do

A report released in Adelaide shows most people facing end of life want to die at home but only about 14 per cent actually do, prompting a call for more support for home care.

Most people facing end-of-life decisions want to die in their own homes, prompting a call for more support for home-based care services as the population ages.

A national report on the issue, to be released in Adelaide today, found up to 70 per cent of people would prefer to die at home. However, only about 14 per cent actually do, compared with about 42 per cent in the UK.

The report, commissioned by Catholic Health Australia, draws on the experiences of more than 9400 palliative care patients admitted to its 80 member hospitals each year.

The report is being launched at Calvary North Adelaide Hospital, which is the first private hospital in South Australia to introduce home-based palliative care services.

More than 50 patients and their families have used the service since it began last September, based on the patients having appropriate support networks at home.

Most people facing end-of-life decisions want to die in their own homes.

The service, backed by private health insurance funds, includes 24/7 access to palliative care telephone support and visits from nursing and allied health practitioners to assist patients and families.

CHA chief executive Suzanne Greenwood said the projected growth of Australia’s ageing population meant significantly more people would need access to high-quality end-of-life and palliative care services in the coming years.

“Our ageing population is increasing up to 22 per cent per year,” she said.

Calvary Palliative Home Care Service manager Kevin Hardy said a goal of palliative care was to give people a choice, which for many was to stay in their home.

“The significance of giving patients this choice can’t be understated, particularly at a time in their lives when many choices are taken away from them,” he said.

SA Health’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy for the next five years is now out for public consultation. It notes the ageing population and rising rates of cancer and other conditions, such as dementia, has led to a 28 per cent rise in demand for palliative care services in the past four years, which will continue to grow.

Originally published as Most people facing the end of their life want to die at home, but few do