Unpacking the impact of older adults' home death on family care-givers' experiences of home

Enhancing End-of-Life Care with Home-Based Palliative Interventions: A Systematic Review

CONTEXT

Home-Based Palliative Care (HPC) interventions have emerged as a promising approach to deliver patient-centered care in familiar surroundings, aligning with patients' preferences and improving quality of life (QOL).

OBJECTIVES

This review aimed to systematically assess the impact of HPC interventions on symptom management, QOL, healthcare resource utilization and place of death among patients with severe, progressive illnesses requiring end-of-life care.

METHODS

A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus databases to identify relevant studies published between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2023. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials and clinical studies evaluating the effectiveness of HPC interventions compared to usual care. Risk of bias assessment was performed using Cochrane tools.

RESULTS

Nine publications meeting inclusion criteria were identified. Findings indicate that HPC interventions, delivered by specialized teams or integrated care approaches, significantly improve QOL and increase the likelihood of patients dying at home. Moreover, HPC is associated with reduced healthcare utilization, including fewer hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and shorter hospital stays. No significant differences were observed in symptom management.

CONCLUSION

HPC interventions demonstrate significant benefits in addressing the complex needs of patients with advanced illnesses. These findings underscore the importance of integrating HPC into healthcare systems to optimize outcomes and promote quality end-of-life care. Future research should focus on expanding access to HPC services, enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration, and incorporating patient preferences to further improve care delivery in this vulnerable population.

Disability and Place of Death in Older Americans: The Moderating Role of Household Wealth

CONTEXT

Home-based deaths are increasing, yet, how wealth influences where people die in the presence of disability remains unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To examine place of death by help with (instrumental) activities of daily living (I/ADLs) at the end of life (EOL) and the modifying role of wealth.

METHODS

Retrospective study of decedents from the Health and Retirement Study (n = 13,210). The exposure was intensity of help with I/ADLs at the EOL (no help/ lower intensity/higher intensity). The outcome was place of death (hospital/nursing home/home). Household wealth was an effect modifier with six categories: ≤$0, first-fifth quintile. Covariates included age, gender, race, marital status at the EOL, last place of residence, and receipt of hospice care. We used multinomial logit regression models with estimates reported as average marginal effects (AMEs).

RESULTS

Mean age was 79.8 years; 53.2% were female. In the adjusted models, compared to not receiving help at EOL, receiving higher-intensity help was associated with a lower probability of dying in a hospital (AME = -3.8 percentage points (pp), 95% CI = -6.3 to -1.3) and a higher probability of dying at home (AME = 3.6 pp, 95% CI = 1.4-5.7). Associations were most pronounced among decedents in the top two wealth quintiles; older adults who received higher-intensity help had a lower probability of dying in a hospital (AME = -9.0 pp, 95% CI = -14.8 to -3.1), and a higher probability of dying at home (AME = 8.4 pp, 95% CI = 3.8-13.0).

CONCLUSION

Receiving higher intensity of help with I/ADLs was associated with lower likelihood of dying in a hospital, and higher likelihood of dying at home, particularly among older adults with greater wealth.

Older Adults' Unmet Needs at the End of Life: A Cross-Country Comparison of the United States and England

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the end-of-life (EOL) experiences in concentration with place of death, for older adults in the U.S. and England. Methods: Weighted comparative analysis was conducted using harmonized Health and Retirement Study and English Longitudinal Study of Ageing datasets covering the period of 2006-2012. Results: At the EOL, more older adults in the U.S. (64.14%) than in England (54.09%) had unmet needs (I/ADLs). Home was the main place of death in the U.S. (47.34%), while it was the hospital in England (58.01%). Gender, marital status, income, place of death, previous hospitalization, memory-related diseases, self-rated health, and chronic diseases were linked to unmet needs in both countries. Discussion: These findings challenge the existing assumptions about EOL experiences and place of death outcomes, emphasizing the significance of developing integrated care models to bolster support for essential daily activities of older adults at the EOL.

Home care nurses facilitating planned home deaths. A focused ethnography

BACKGROUND

Home care nurses provide complex palliative care for patients who want to die in their own homes. This study aimed to explore home care nurses' facilitation of planned home death to better understand nursing practices.

METHODS

Data were collected between March 2019 and March 2020 using participant observations and semi-structured interviews. In addition, the number of planned home deaths was recorded. The analysis was guided by Roper and Shapira`s framework on focused ethnography.

RESULTS

Twenty home care nurses (three men) in eight home care areas in two Norwegian municipalities met the inclusion criteria. Eight home deaths were registered, seven participatory observations were performed, and 20 semi-structured interviews were completed. Home care nurses find facilitating planned home deaths to be rewarding work, to the point of going above and beyond. At the same time, they describe facilitating planned home deaths as demanding work due to organizational stressors such as staff shortages, heavy workloads, and time restraints. While they tend to patients' needs, they also express concern for the wellbeing of the next of kin. They find it challenging to juggle the needs of the patients with the needs of next of kin, as these are not always correlated.

CONCLUSION

Home care nurses are pushing the boundaries of their practice when facilitating planned home deaths while compensating for a fragile system by going above and beyond for patients and their next of kin. Providing insights into the work of home care nurses providing palliative care in patients' homes can impact recruiting and retaining nurses in the workforce and influence local practices and policies.

The ideal and the real: Patient and bereaved family caregiver perspectives on the significance of place of death

Home has become established as the preferred place of death within health policy and practice in the UK and internationally. However, growing awareness of the structured inequalities underpinning end-of-life care and the challenges for family members undertaking care at home raise questions about the nature of patient and public preferences and priorities regarding place of death and the feasibility of home management of the complex care needs at the end-of-life. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study of 12 patients' and 34 bereaved family caregivers' perspectives and priorities regarding place of death. Participants expressed complex and nuanced accounts in which place of death was not afforded an overarching priority. The study findings point to public pragmatism and flexibility in relation to place of death, and the misalignment of current policy with public priorities that are predominantly for comfort and companionship at the end-of-life, regardless of place.

Challenges and Facilitators for Psychosocial Support when Aging and Dying in Place: A Rapid Review of the Literature

Most seniors in Canada live at home and consistently indicate that they prefer to stay there for as long as possible. Consequently, this desire places increasing pressure on supports such as informal caregivers and community services. The current rapid review set out to examine the psychosocial aspects of aging and dying in place that point to gaps in programs and services to support this preference. We searched PubMed, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed entries, and identified 42 articles for analysis, which we charted on a form we created and tested. Lack of attention to the whole person, lack of preparation for the journey ahead, and difficulties establishing collaborative and trusting relationships were, broadly, the challenges identified. A blend of initiatives in the community combined with an integrated palliative approach to care may mitigate some of the challenges that limit options for aging and dying in place.

Managing medicines at the end of life: a position paper for health policy and practice

Purpose

The impact of population ageing is significant, multifaceted and characterised by frailty and multi-morbidity. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated care pathways and policies promoting self-management and home-based care. One under-researched area is how patients and family caregivers manage the complexity of end-of-life therapeutic medicine regimens. In this position paper the authors bring attention to the significant strain that patients and family caregivers experience when navigating and negotiating this aspect of palliative and end-of-life care.

Design/methodology/approach

Focussing on self-care and organisation of medicines in the United Kingdom (UK) context, the paper examines, builds on and extends the debate by considering the underlying policy assumptions and unintended consequences for individual patients and family care givers as they assume greater palliative and end-of-life roles and responsibilities.

Findings

Policy makers and healthcare professionals often lack awareness of the significant burden and emotional work associated with managing and administering often potent high-risk medicines (i.e. opioids) in the domiciliary setting. The recent “revolution” in professional roles associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, including remote consultations and expanding community-based care, means there are opportunities for commissioners to consider offering greater support. The prospect of enhancing the community pharmacist's medicine optimisation role to further support the wider multi-disciplinary team is considered.

Originality/value

The paper takes a person-focused perspective and adopts a holistic view of medicine management. The authors argue for urgent review, reform and investment to enable and support terminally ill patients and family caregivers to more effectively manage medicines in the domiciliary setting. There are clear implications for pharmacists and these are discussed in the context of public awareness, inter-professional collaboration, organisational drivers, funding and regulation and remote care delivery.

Family and health-care professionals managing medicines for patients with serious and terminal illness at home: a qualitative study

Background

More effective ways of managing symptoms of chronic and terminal illness enable patients to be cared for, and to die, at home. This requires patients and family caregivers to manage complex medicines regimens, including powerful painkillers that can have serious side effects. Little is known about how patients and family caregivers manage the physical and emotional work of managing medicines in the home or the support that they receive from health-care professionals and services.

Objective

To investigate how patients with serious and terminal illness, their family caregivers and the health-care professionals manage complex medication regimens and routines of care in the domestic setting.

Design

A qualitative study involving (1) semistructured interviews and group discussions with 40 health-care professionals and 21 bereaved family caregivers, (2) 20 patient case studies with up to 4 months’ follow-up and (3) two end-of-project stakeholder workshops.

Setting

This took place in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, UK.

Results

As patients’ health deteriorated, family caregivers assumed the role of a care co-ordinator, undertaking the everyday work of organising and collecting prescriptions and storing and administering medicines around other care tasks and daily routines. Participants described the difficulties of navigating a complex and fragmented system and the need to remain vigilant about medicines prescribed, especially when changes were made by different professionals. Access to support, resilience and coping capacity are mediated through the resources available to patients, through the relationships that they have with people in their personal and professional networks, and, beyond that, through the wider connections – or disconnections – that these links have with others. Health-care professionals often lacked understanding of the practical and emotional challenges involved. All participants experienced difficulties in communication and organisation within a health-care system that they felt was complicated and poorly co-ordinated. Having a key health professional to support and guide patients and family caregivers through the system was important to a good experience of care.

Limitations

The study achieved diversity in the recruitment of patients, with different characteristics relating to the type of illness and socioeconomic circumstances. However, recruitment of participants from ethnically diverse and disadvantaged or hard-to-reach populations was particularly challenging, and we were unable to include as many participants from these groups as had been originally planned.

Conclusions

The study identified two key and inter-related areas in which patient and family caregiver experience of managing medicines at home in end-of-life care could be improved: (1) reducing work and responsibility for medicines management and (2) improving co-ordination and communication in health care. It is important to be mindful of the need for transparency and open discussion about the extent to which patients and family caregivers can and should be co-opted as proto-professionals in the technically and emotionally demanding tasks of managing medicines at the end of life.

Future work

Priorities for future research include investigating how allocated key professionals could integrate and co-ordinate care and optimise medicines management; the role of domiciliary home care workers in supporting medicines management in end-of-life care; patient and family perspectives and understanding of anticipatory prescribing and their preferences for involvement in decision-making; the experience of medicines management in terminal illness among minority, disadvantaged and hard-to-reach patient groups; and barriers to and facilitators of increased involvement of community pharmacists in palliative and end-of-life care.

Funding

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 9, No. 14. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Rapid review of decision-making for place of care and death in older people: lessons for COVID-19

Introduction

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has affected the functioning and capacity of healthcare systems worldwide. COVID-19 has also disproportionately affected older adults. In the context of COVID-19, decision-making surrounding place of care (PoC) and place of death (PoD) in older adults involves significant new challenges.

Aims

To explore key factors that influence PoC and PoD decisions in older adults. A secondary aim was to investigate key factors that influence the process and outcome of these decisions in older adults. To apply findings from current evidence to the context of COVID-19.

Methods

Rapid review of reviews, undertaken using WHO guidance for rapid reviews for the production of actionable evidence. Data extracted was synthesised using narrative synthesis, with thematic analysis and tabulation.

Results

10 papers were included for full data extraction. These papers were published between 2005 and 2020. Papers included discussed actual PoD, as well as preferred. Results were divided into papers that explored the process of decision-making, and those that explored decision-making outcomes.

Conclusions

The process and outcomes of decision-making for older people are affected by many factors—all of which have the potential to influence both patients and caregivers experience of illness and dying. Within the context of COVID-19, such decisions may have to be made rapidly and be reflexive to changing needs of systems and of families and patients.

Unsettling Place(s) at the end of life

Critical considerations of space and place at the end of life have been limited in the social science literature. To address this gap, we draw on empirical data from two interrelated but separate qualitative Australian data sets to critically examine dying in relation to considerations of space, place and affect. These studies share the primary aim to better understand and articulate end-of-life experiences, with one using video reflexive ethnography and the other semi-structured interviews with patients. Challenging the broader valorisation of particular places of dying and death (e.g. home, hospice, hospital), we critically explore the meanings and affects of space and place and how they are rooted in normative expectations. Drawing on participant accounts we interrogate simplistic concepts of home versus hospice, or hospital versus community, developing a critical social science of the intersections of space and place at the end of life.

Caregiving adult children's perceptions of challenges relating to the end of life of their centenarian parents

BACKGROUND

The number of centenarians in Europe is increasing; many face health impairments. Adult children often play a key role in their care, but there is a lack of research into what it means for these caregiving relatives to be confronted for many years with their parents' end of life (EOL), dying and death as well as their own advancing age.

AIM

This study aims to analyse the challenges of caregiving adult children regarding their parents' end of life and the related burdens and barriers they report.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 caregivers following a theory-based and tested guideline. The computer-aided coding and evaluation followed the structured content analysis approach.

RESULTS

The analysis showed three main themes: 'Confronting EOL', 'Communicating about death and dying' and 'Assisting in the terminal phase'. The respondents commented on burdensome demands and concerns about the future. Further, a strong underlying presence of intra- and interpersonal conflicts relating to EOL became apparent.

DISCUSSION

The results indicate several potential burdens for centenarians' caregiving offspring. They are confronted with a double challenge resulting from the combination of their own advanced age and experiencing the burdens of their parents' very old age. Further, some participants struggled with their own unclear perspective on the future because of the relative but unclear proximity of the parent's death. Multiple conflicts and overlapping conflict dimensions emphasise the potential of the EOL topic to influence the well-being of family caregivers and care recipients.

LIMITATIONS

The convenience sample used for the study may cause limitations, for example, the fact that persons with a formally lower educational status are not represented.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that interventions designed for family-related care situations should include topics like 'Finiteness and grief', 'Communicating about dying and death' and 'Decisions and dispositions at EOL'.

Experiences of oldest-old caregivers whose partner is approaching end-of-life: A mixed-method systematic review and narrative synthesis

Population ageing has rapidly increased the number of people requiring end-of-life care across the globe. Governments have responded by promoting end-of-life in the community. Partly as a consequence, older spouses are frequently providing for their partner's end-of-life care at home, despite potentially facing their own health issues. While there is an emerging literature on young-old caregivers, less is known about spouse carers over 75 who are likely to face specific challenges associated with their advanced age and relationship status. The aim of this review, therefore, is to identify and synthesise the literature concerning the experiences of caregiver's aged 75 and over whose partner is approaching end-of-life. We conducted a mixed-method systematic review and narrative synthesis of the empirical literature published between 1985 and May 2019, identified from six databases: Medline, PsychINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, Sociological Abstracts and Social Service Abstracts. Hand searching and reference checking were also conducted. Gough's Weight of Evidence and Morgan's Feminist Quality Appraisal tool used to determine the quality of papers. From the initial 7819 titles, 10 qualitative studies and 9 quantitative studies were included. We identified three themes: 1) "Embodied impact of care" whereby caring was found to negatively impact carers physical and psychological health, with adverse effects continuing into bereavement; 2) "Caregiving spouse's conceptualisation of their role" in which caregiver's navigated their self and marriage identities in relation to their partner's condition and expectations about gender and place; 3) "Learning to care" which involved learning new skills and ways of coping to remain able to provide care. We identified a recent up-surge in published papers about very old spousal caregivers, which now comprise a small, medium-quality evidence base. This review outlines a range of potential lines of inquiry for future research including further clarification of the impact of caregiving on the likelihood of mortality, the incidence of men and women providing end-of-life care amongst this age group, and the role of anticipatory grief in shaping their perceptions of their relationship and their own longevity.

What do family care-givers want from domiciliary care for relatives living with dementia? A qualitative study

In the current ecology of care, social, rather than medical, support is critical in enabling frail older people to live at home. This paper reports findings from a qualitative study about how home care workers (HCWs) support persons with dementia living in the community. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were carried out in England with 14 family care-givers (FCGs) recruited from a single private home care provider. A thematic analysis of the data was undertaken using the constant comparative method. In every instance, it was FCGs who initiated domiciliary care for the person with dementia, highlighting ambiguity about who is the ‘client’. Rather than focusing on the HCWs’ work in undertaking practical tasks and personal care, respondents prioritised HCWs as companions, providing emotional and social support for their relatives. From an organisational perspective, respondents valued the capacity of the provider to deliver a consistent, personal, reliable and punctual service. These attributes were important in supporting their relative's agency and dignity. Respondents described HCWs engaging in skilled and sensitive communication with clients but considered ‘character’ and ‘innate’ caring abilities to be more important than those derived from training. The results highlight the need to acknowledge the family, rather than the individual client, as the functioning unit of care, and to recognise the highly skilled communicative and emotional work undertaken by HCWs.

The Lived Experiences of Family Caregivers of Persons Dying in Home Hospice: Support, Advocacy, and Information Urgently Needed

Death in America is changing from hospital to home, which demands complex skills by family caregivers. However, information from family members about the challenges of providing home hospice care until death is scant. To understand the challenges a family caregiver confronts when he/she decides to deliver hospice care and during the actual delivery of the hospice care, we used descriptive phenomenology methods to document the experience of 18 family caregivers as they delivered home hospice care. We learned the decision to begin home hospice was made by a physician, followed frequently by family resistance and refusal to assist. Family caregiver burden is enormous, compounded by fatigue, sleeplessness, and confusion on issues such as morphine dosage and administration. The stages and process of dying, such as transition, baffled family caregivers. All family caregivers agree financial and emotion support, empathic advocacy, and affirmation of their worth are needed to sustain them to care for the dying. The peacefulness following offering a home death comes at a high price to family caregivers. Evidence is needed from a randomized controlled trial as to effectiveness of advocacy support for family caregivers to increase their resiliency and higher probability of a good death for the dying.

Deactivating a Pacemaker in Home Care Hospice: Experiences of the Family Caregivers of a Terminally Ill Patient

Objectives:

Although the experiences of family members who care for relatives at the end of life have been researched extensively, little is known about the needs and experiences of families caring for hospice patients with pacemakers.

Aim:

To better understand the experiences of family caregivers of a terminally ill patient who received hospice care at home and chose deactivation of a pacemaker.

Design:

The exploratory, cross-sectional design involved semistructured, in-depth interviews. A narrative analysis focusing on form and content was chosen to analyze the data.

Participants:

Five bereaved caregivers from the Midwestern United States who provided care and participated in the deactivation of their family member’s pacemaker.

Results:

Four storylines that described, gave meaning to, and contextualized the caregivers’ experiences were identified: “I am done. I am not doing it anymore”; “Whatever you decide, I’ll support you”; “It is really difficult to watch, but you want to be there”; and “I will not have part of this.” Caregivers struggled with lack of support, understanding, and acceptance from medical providers when their family member decided to have her pacemaker deactivated, and they believed that the hospice model of care was appropriate to support and help them in that process.

Conclusions:

This research aids in understanding the ramifications of family-provided end-of-life care to a patient whose pacemaker has been deactivated. This can help to increase hospice clinicians’ knowledge regarding caregivers’ experiences facing deactivation of a pacemaker, before and after the patient’s death.

Perspectives of bereaved relatives of patients with haematological malignancies concerning preferred place of care and death: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

People with haematological malignancies have different end-of-life care patterns from those with other cancers and are more likely to die in hospital. Little is known about patient and relative preferences at this time and whether these are achieved.

AIM

To explore the experiences and reflections of bereaved relatives of patients with leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma, and examine (1) preferred place of care and death; (2) perceptions of factors influencing attainment of preferences; and (3) changes that could promote achievement of preferences.

DESIGN

Qualitative interview study incorporating 'Framework' analysis.

SETTING/PARTICIPANTS

A total of 10 in-depth interviews with bereaved relatives.

RESULTS

Although most people expressed a preference for home death, not all attained this. The influencing factors include disease characteristics (potential for sudden deterioration and death), the occurrence and timing of discussions (treatment cessation, prognosis, place of care/death), family networks (willingness/ability of relatives to provide care, knowledge about services, confidence to advocate) and resource availability (clinical care, hospice beds/policies). Preferences were described as changing over time and some family members retrospectively came to consider hospital as the 'right' place for the patient to have died. Others shared strong preferences with patients for home death and acted to ensure this was achieved. No patients died in a hospice, and relatives identified barriers to death in this setting.

CONCLUSION

Preferences were not always achieved due to a series of complex, interrelated factors, some amenable to change and others less so. Death in hospital may be preferred and appropriate, or considered the best option in hindsight.

Haematology nurses' perspectives of their patients' places of care and death: A UK qualitative interview study

PURPOSE

Patients with haematological malignancies are more likely to die in hospital, and less likely to access palliative care than people with other cancers, though the reasons for this are not well understood. The purpose of our study was to explore haematology nurses' perspectives of their patients' places of care and death.

METHOD

Qualitative description, based on thematic content analysis. Eight haematology nurses working in secondary and tertiary hospital settings were purposively selected and interviewed. Transcriptions were coded and analysed for themes using a mainly inductive, cross-comparative approach.

RESULTS

Five inter-related factors were identified as contributing to the likelihood of patients' receiving end of life care/dying in hospital: the complex nature of haematological diseases and their treatment; close clinician-patient bonds; delays to end of life discussions; lack of integration between haematology and palliative care services; and barriers to death at home.

CONCLUSIONS

Hospital death is often determined by the characteristics of the cancer and type of treatment. Prognostication is complex across subtypes and hospital death perceived as unavoidable, and sometimes the preferred option. Earlier, frank conversations that focus on realistic outcomes, closer integration of palliative care and haematology services, better communication across the secondary/primary care interface, and an increase in out-of-hours nursing support could improve end of life care and facilitate death at home or in hospice, when preferred.

Ideas of home in palliative care research: A concept analysis

AIM

To explore the concept of home and its' expressed spatialities in current palliative care research.

BACKGROUND

Home is a central environment for living, caring, and dying. However, pure investigations of the sets of ideas linked to the concept seemed missing. Although identified as an important location, spatial perspectives expressed through the concept of home appeared unexplored.

DESIGN

Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis.

DATA SOURCES

Scientific articles published between January 2009 and September 2015.

REVIEW METHODS

Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis. Resulting attributes were explored from two geographically informed spatial perspectives.

RESULTS

As main results, six attributes were identified and explored: Home as actor-capable of acting; emotional environment-something people have feelings for; place-a part of personal identity and a location; space-complex and relational spatial connections and a site for care; setting-passive background and absolute space; becoming-a fluid spatiality constantly folded. Examples of attributes and suggestions for further concept development were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

The concept reflects various sets of ideas as well as expressing both relational and absolute perspectives of space. The most challenging for nursing research and practice seems to be investigation, operationalization, and testing the implementation of sets of ideas reflecting a relational thinking of space.

Home as a place of caring and wellbeing? A qualitative study of informal carers and caring networks lived experiences of providing in-home end-of-life care

Although the burden of caring is well described, the value of home as a potential place of wellbeing and support for informal caring networks when providing end-of-life care is not well recognised. Interviews and focus groups with 127 primary carers and members of informal care networks revealed their collaborative stories about caring for a dying person at home. Four themes emerged from the data: home as a place of comfort and belonging; places of social connection and collaborative caring; places of connection to nature and the non-human; places of achievement and triumph. When support is available, nurturing carer wellbeing may be best achieved at home.

Dying at home of cancer: whose needs are being met? The experience of family carers and healthcare professionals (a multiperspective qualitative study)

Objectives

Supporting patients to die in the place of their choosing is an important aspect of end of life care. Our study set out to answer the question: ‘How does the home environment influence perceptions of quality of death, and the experience of caring for the dying at home, for family carers and healthcare professionals (HCPs)?

Methods

A qualitative approach, using multiperspective interviews with bereaved family carers (n=15) and a nominated HCP (n=13) ensured depth of insight gained into supporting a home death. The semistructured interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using Framework.

Results

We found that the home environment enabled normality, a sense of control and individualised care which family carers often perceived as contributing towards a good death. However, the home environment created challenges for both family carers and HCPs, due to the differing and at times conflicting needs of the dying person and their family carers.

Conclusions

We have shed light on the complexity of balancing the demands and the satisfaction of caring for someone dying at home. The ability to manage these conflicting needs influenced whether carers perceived the home setting as the best place for the person to have received care in their last days of life.