Background and aims
Due to the ageing of the population and the growing
number of people with palliative care needs who live
alone, it has become increasingly important to provide
appropriate home-based care for this group of people. In
a national scoping study, ‘home alone’ patients who
required palliative care made up between 7% and 12%
of the total number of patients of three large participating
services (Aoun et al. 2007).
Cancer patients who live alone report greater psychological
distress than those living with family carers; there
is a greater likelihood of problems adjusting to diagnosis
and poorer quality of life (Akechi et al. 1998, Chibnall
et al. 2002, Grundy et al. 2004). Importantly, patients
living alone are also less likely to receive community
specialist palliative care compared with patients who
have a carer (Addington-Hall & Altmann 2000). Aoun
et al.’s (2007) scoping study confirmed reports that people
living alone with a terminal illness had more hospitaladmissions, required more formal care and were less
likely to die at home than those who had a caregiver.
The increasing numbers of older people living alone
have important implications for planning and provision
of care and treatment for cancer sufferers (Grundy et al.
2004). Without adequate home-care support, individuals
who live alone are at a disadvantage in terms of their
place of care and place of death. Patients living alone
and interviewed in Aoun et al.’s (2008) study clearly stated
their preference to be at home at the end of their life
and the importance of dying with dignity which for
them meant staying at home for as long as possible:
I don’t want to finish up in some kind of barn waiting for
God, so the doctor assured me he will treat me here as
Background and aimsDue to the ageing of the population and the growingnumber of people with palliative care needs who livealone, it has become increasingly important to provideappropriate home-based care for this group of people. Ina national scoping study, ‘home alone’ patients whorequired palliative care made up between 7% and 12%of the total number of patients of three large participatingservices (Aoun et al. 2007).Cancer patients who live alone report greater psychologicaldistress than those living with family carers; thereis a greater likelihood of problems adjusting to diagnosisand poorer quality of life (Akechi et al. 1998, Chibnallet al. 2002, Grundy et al. 2004). Importantly, patientsliving alone are also less likely to receive communityspecialist palliative care compared with patients whohave a carer (Addington-Hall & Altmann 2000). Aounet al.’s (2007) scoping study confirmed reports that peopleliving alone with a terminal illness had more hospitaladmissions, required more formal care and were lesslikely to die at home than those who had a caregiver.The increasing numbers of older people living alonehave important implications for planning and provisionof care and treatment for cancer sufferers (Grundy et al.2004). Without adequate home-care support, individualswho live alone are at a disadvantage in terms of theirplace of care and place of death. Patients living aloneand interviewed in Aoun et al.’s (2008) study clearly statedtheir preference to be at home at the end of their lifeand the importance of dying with dignity which forthem meant staying at home for as long as possible:I don’t want to finish up in some kind of barn waiting forGod, so the doctor assured me he will treat me here as
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