In France, Where do People Live in Their Last Month of Life and Where do They Die ?
This article describes the residential trajectories and places of residence of patients over their last month of life, based on the end-of-life survey “Fin de vie en France”, conducted in 2010 on a representative sample of deaths occurring in December 2009. The physicians who had certified the deaths were questioned about the end-of-life circumstances. While three in five people die in hospital, only half were in hospital a month before their death. Over that last month, the most common move is from home to hospital. Those already in hospital or living in a care home a month before death are very likely to remain there until they die. Multivariate analyses show that age and sex influence the end-of-life trajectory : it is the oldest individuals, and women, who are most likely to spend their last month in a care home. Symptoms, type of disease and purpose of treatment also play a role. Not all clinical situations can be handled through home care : treatment of acute episodes, respiratory distress and digestive problems are more often treated in hospital, mental disorders in care homes and mobility problems in both these places.
Keywords
- end of life
- death
- place of death
- France
- life course
- home
- care home
- hospital