Authors: Deirdre Shanagher, Carmel Collins & Marie Lynch Irish Hospice Foundation

Methods

A Night Nursing Service Supporting Older

People to Die at Home

Results:

Introduction & Background:

Implications:

October 2014

• The growth in this service coincides with increasing emphasis from Irish health policy for people to be cared for in their own home

for longer (DoH, 2012 ).

• As people are living longer, it is certain that the demand for this service will continue to grow.

• This work outlines the inequity that exists across the country when accessing this night nursing service. More research is required to

understand these variances and to support the night nursing services to be incorporated into health care planning so that more older

people will be able to die in the place of their choosing.

• Since 2006, funding has been provided by the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) for

people with illnesses other than cancer to receive a night nursing service to support

them to die at home.

• IHF will fund the service if the following criteria is met:

1. The person being referred has a non-malignant condition

2. The person being referred is imminently dying

3. The person being referred is being cared for at home

4. The person being referred is a patient of a specialist palliative care (SPC) home

care team

5. Funding for the service cannot be sourced elsewhere

The service is delivered by Irish Cancer Society night nurses.

This work outlines the findings of a review that applied a particular focus on referrals

received regarding those over the age of 65.

All referrals to IHF were recorded and

pertinent details collated.

Statistical analysis was applied to the

information collected from 2010 – 2013

inclusive.

Only data pertaining to people over the age

of 65 was included in the analysis of data

shown here.

Number of Referrals: Use of the service has more than doubled in the 4 years

reviewed:

In line with demographic predictions it appears that women

are living longer than men and more older women used the

service.

This is also apparent in the following chart which indicates

that more women are dying with cardiac, respiratory and

dementia illness.

What illnesses are older people dying with: • The National Council for Palliative Care (UK) classification of

illnesses was used to analyse information.

• Heart Failure & Respiratory illnesses are the leading causes of death

in older people using this service.

• The chart below indicates that the number of older people dying with

dementia is also increasing. This is in line with demographic

predictions which indicate that there will be 147000 people of all ages

living in Ireland with dementia by 2041 (Cahill et al, 2012).

• Use of the service varies across the country as is indicated by the

graph below.