Napier University

Academic Institute

Jan Savinc

eDRIS-2021-0312

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen a large increase in numbers of people dying at home. Deaths at home have increased by 36% relative to pre-pandemic levels. Only about 2% of those deaths were Covid related, with most deaths happening due to other causes. Little is known about the characteristics of the population dying at home during this time. As present we don't know what precipitated the shift to home deaths or how home deaths today compare to those before the pandemic. Importantly, the sustained increase of home deaths throughout the pandemic period raises questions about the availability of services, ability to access both formal and unpaid care, and the quality of care received by individuals dying at home. We will investigate the health needs and services used by people who died at home during the pandemic and how they differed from people dying in hospital or care homes, but also from people dying at home before the pandemic. This work is important given that insights into the causes and consequences of the shift to home deaths can facilitate end-of-life care policy in the post-pandemic world.

24/11/2021

TRE