AsianScientist (May 23, 2011) – While dying is not an easy topic for discussion, people shouldn’t underestimate the importance of broaching the subject long ahead of time, according to Professor Patsy Yates from Queensland University of Technology (QUT)’s School of Nursing and Midwifery.
As Vice President of Palliative Care Australia (PCA), Professor Yates is acting as a spokesperson for National Palliative Care Week from May 22 to 28.
To mark National Palliative Care Week, PCA commissioned an independent online survey of 1,000 Australians to gauge community views on dying and palliative care. The survey showed that almost two in three Australians believe death and dying isn’t discussed enough in the community.
“There’s no escaping that we will all die eventually, and everyone deserves quality care at that time. To make that a reality, we need to chat about dying to our loved ones and caregivers. Unfortunately this survey shows this is just not happening,” Professor Yates said.
The results of this research have been used to shape a new campaign, ‘Let’s Chat About Dying,’ to encourage people to talk about this difficult topic.
Despite the public’s aversion to discussing this topic, Australia provides a wide range of specialist carers and services ready to help ensure that Australians have quality end-of-life care wherever possible, says Yates.
“What people need to do is chat about dying, understand what help is available and let their loved ones know what they’d prefer. Unfortunately we have our work cut out for us here. When asked about the end of their lives, just 32 percent of respondents said they had discussed their preferences with their loved ones. Not surprisingly, the people most likely to have discussed their preferences were those aged 65+ (51 percent) and those with adult children (41 percent),” he said.
“We’d suggest that this is nowhere near enough. When a loved one is dying, it’s often a very difficult, emotional period. Understanding clearly what your loved one wants at this time – for instance whether they would like to die at home, or what pain relief they can access – makes decision making much simpler during a very stressful period,” said Yates.
Survey participants were also asked where they would prefer to die. 44 percent had not thought about it and of those who had considered it, some 74 percent said they wanted to die at home.
While consistent with overseas findings, these wishes contrast sharply with the reality.
“We know that the number of people who die at home in Australia has actually decreased over the past 50 years. Now only about 16 percent of people die at home, 20 percent die in hospices and 10 percent in nursing homes. The rest die in hospitals,” said Yates.
Many people carefully prepare financially for dying through estate planning and wills. Others even buy plots of land in advance for their burials. Yet, very few take the time to plan for the process of dying and the type of care they wish for.
“We’d urge people to prepare a simple Advance Care Plan, covering likely scenarios near the end of life and communicating their wishes about the type of care they wish for and where they’d like to be at the end of life,” Yates said.
“So our message is clear – don’t put it off. Chat to your loved ones about dying, understand what support is out there, and ensure your wishes are clear. No one lives forever and we are all entitled to support and comfort during our final days,” he added.
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Source: Queensland University of Technology.
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