End of life care
Older people are being denied a dignified death. Many may face discrimination in the kind of end of life care being offered or have little choice in how and when they die.
What we want
Just because older people are nearing the end of their life doesn’t mean they lose their right to quality dignified care. Such discrimination in care at the end of life on the basis of age is appalling.
We believe that the NHS must serve the needs of all it patients, young and old, whether those needs are physical, mental or spiritual.
A national scandal
Younger people facing death, from terminal illness for example, receive a better standard of care and support than older people in their final years. Our research has revealed enormous differences in the care available to older people. Only 8.5 per cent of older people with cancer die in a hospice, compared with 20 per cent of all cancer sufferers.
Older people who die in hospital can endure dirty and noisy wards, where busy medical and nursing staff may not be able to devote the necessary time and attention to them. Older people who are dying have fewer support networks, and more financial hardships compared to younger people.
Taboos surrounding death and dying can lead to older people feeling unable to say how or where they would like to die.
It is a perverse system that allows the people who have been paying for the NHS for the longest to receive the poorest quality care as they are dying.
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What you can do
Have your say – It’s your health service.
Have your say
It is your right to be consulted on the quality of local health services, and to call for improvements.
