Age factors

Carers look after family, friends or partners in help because they are ill, frail or have a disability. The care they provide is unpaid. In any year 301,000 adults in the UK become carers. Three out of five carers have had to give up work to care. Almost all of us have been or will be a carer during our lifetime.

Background: In the U.K. about 141,460 people with dementia (PWD) live alone. They are at risk of social isolation and inadequate social and medical supervision. The aims of this study were to identify the needs of PWD living alone and to compare the needs of PWD living alone versus those living with others.

3rd in a series of 5 articles on informal carers in the UK, focusing on carers who may be more isolated. 

Background: older patients are less likely to receive palliative care than younger patients. As patient and primary carer age correlate positively, patterns may be due to carer rather than patient age, and reflect better ability to obtain support among younger carers.

Objective: to investigate how both patient and carer age relate to palliative care use, controlling for relevant variables.

Background: End-of-life care (EOLC) is a key component in care of older people. However, evidence suggests that the oldest old (>85 years) are less likely to access specialist EOLC.

Objective: The study's objective was to explore experiences of EOLC among the oldest old and determine their reported preference for place of death.

Design: The study involved a self-completion postbereavement survey.