End of life research results published

Tue,10 February 2015
News

Only 22% of those surveyed by charity Disability Rights UK ranked end of life care services as ‘very good’

This compares unfavourably with the 43% of bereaved people who, in the most recent VOICES survey, described care in the last three months of life as either outstanding or excellent.

Problems experienced by those with a terminal illness included:

  • Difficulty in talking about the end of life as a disabled person
  • Healthcare professionals lack of understanding how best to support disabled people when they were terminally ill. 
  • Insufficient information in a format appropriate to their disability.

It is crucial that further research is done on the experiences of disabled people at the end of life. The numbers of people who are terminally ill and have a disability are likely to increase because the UK has an ageing population, and people are more likely to develop disabilities as they age.

If you have you been affected by these issues contact Caroline Weston on caroline.weston@mariecurie.org.uk or phone 020 7611 2400.

For more information see http://blog.mariecurie.org.uk/2015/02/10/research-reveals-experiences-of-disabled-people-with-a-terminal-illness/

End of life survey findings