Help the Aged: End-of-life care must ensure dignity
Wednesday, 27 Feb 2008 12:38
A "dignified, comfortable death" must be available for all terminally ill people whether in their home or at hospital, Help the Aged has said.
The charity is one of a number calling for more people to be given the care necessary for them to die in comfort in their home.
It says that although everyone in the UK is entitled to free palliative care at home, "services across the UK are patchy at best".
"Help the Aged believe that wherever you die, you should be able to do so with dignity," said Paul Cann, the charity's director of policy and external relations.
"We have 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.
"The government's forthcoming end-of-life strategy must ensure that the final period of life, wherever it is spent, is not marred by poor support and a lack of dignity."
