Help The Aged Welcomes New Research On End Of Life Care And Calls On Government To Secure Dignity In Death And Dying, UK

Main Category: Palliative Care / Hospice Care
Also Included In: Caregivers / Homecare;  Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 23 Nov 2007 - 2:00 PST

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Reacting to the news that a King's Fund audit of the Marie Curie 'Delivering Choice' programme has found real progress in providing services connected to ed of life care, Paul Cann, director of policy & external affairs at Help the Aged comments:

'The Marie Curie programme is a pioneering initiative which is re-shaping the way in which people live their final months. What's most impressive is that actual location of death is increasingly shifting from hospitals and care homes to people's own homes, providing greater dignity and choice. Help the Aged has long campaigned for older people to be allowed to make informed choices about their own end-of-life care and location of death is central to this, so these results are very welcome indeed.

'Across society more generally, there is a long way yet to travel before people can fully trust that they too will be able to die in comfort and dignity with the very best care available, wherever they die. As the Government plans its new end-of-life strategy, Help the Aged hopes that even greater attention will be devoted to ensuring that the final period of life is not marred by poor support and a lack of dignity. The Government must raise confidence that a high level of end-of-life care can be achieved for all through policies that make a lasting difference to those facing death.'

Notes:

The Marie Curie 'Delivering Choices' programme has been researched by the King's Fund and has shown benefits in end-of-life care provision for people facing death. Information can be found by contacting Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Help the Aged is the charity fighting to free disadvantaged older people in the UK and overseas from poverty, isolation, neglect and ageism. It campaigns to raise public awareness of the issues affecting older people and to bring about policy change. The Charity delivers a range of services: information and advice, home support and community living, including international development work. These are supported by its paid-for services and fundraising activities - which aim to increase funding in the future to respond to the growing unmet needs of disadvantaged older people. Help the Aged also funds vital research into the health issues and experiences of older people to improve the quality of later life.

Help the Aged urgently needs donations and support to help it in the increasingly challenging fight to free disadvantaged older people from poverty, isolation and neglect.

http://www.helptheaged.org.uk