Gender differences as regards the place of death

Background: The place of death is not the same for men and women. Men have more opportunities for dying at home because of the availability of women as informal carers. In this study we analyse changes in the place of death in the past twenty years. Method: The research population consisted of all patients in four general practices of the Continuous Morbidity Registration who died between 2000 and 2005 inclusive. The following data were collected: place of death, cause of death, acute death or death after a terminal phase, presence of professional care and presence of informal care. We asked the patients' GPs about the informal carers. Results: During the research period 433 persons died. Men died more often at home: 55% versus 35% of women. Gender differences have grown when compared to the figures for 1987. Male cancer patients died three times more often at home than did women. Women died more often in a nursing home or in a home for the elderly. Informal care still is predominantly the job of women. Conclusions: Men die more often at home than women and this gender difference has increased in the last 20 years. Informal care is still predominantly performed by women. The presence of a woman is still a prerequisite for dying at home.