Most of us will die in old age, and currently many of us will not have been prompted or given the opportunity to reflect on our wishes regarding the end of our lives.
In society and healthcare today, death is often seen as a failure, and yet we will all die. The rise of single-organ specialism and technological healthcare has led to improvements in survival but also to people living for longer with multiple conditions. Sometimes the narrow view of specialism may lead to clues missed and to time and resources wasted in pursuit of the wrong goals.
The aim of this guidance is to support clinicians and others in considering the needs of and providing high quality care for frail older people as they move towards the end of their lives.
It aims to prompt and support timely discussions about preferences for care, ideally at a time which facilitates the input of the older person themselves.
We hope this guidance will provide practical advice to help those staff working with frail older patients so they can provide them with the best opportunity to live and die well.
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Acknowledgements
The BGS would like to acknowledge with grateful thanks the contributing editors, authors, reviewers and advisory group without whom this project would not have been possible.
Acknowledgements
The BGS would like to acknowledge with grateful thanks the contributing editors, authors, reviewers and advisory group without whom this project would not have been possible.
Editors
End of Life Care Special Interest Group (SIG):
- Dr Eileen Burns MD FRCP FRCP(Ed) MBE
Consultant Physician
Past President, British Geriatrics Society
- Professor Caroline Nicholson PhD MSc BSc (Hons) RGN FHEA
Professor of Palliative Care and Ageing
HEE/NIHR Senior Clinical Lecturer
Honorary Nurse Consultant, St Christopher’s Hospice
Joint Lead for End of Life Care, British Geriatrics Society
- Dr Premila Fade MA FRCP
Consultant Geriatrician, Clinical Lead Dept Medicine for Older People LNWH
Joint Lead for End of Life Care, British Geriatrics Society
Contributing authors
- Adam Gordon
- Adrian Blundell
- Adrian Treloar
- Aine McGovern
- Áine Mitchell
- Alison Smith
- Amanda Cheesely
- Amanda Thompsell
- Amy Proffit
- Caroline Nicholson
- Chris Norton
- Claire Henry
- Dawne Garrett
- Eileen Burns
- Emily Henderson
- Emma Tenison
- Gill Scott
- Hannah Enguell
- Jennifer Stevenson
- Kathy Burn
- Katie Harp
- Katie Lloyd
- Keri Thomas
- Lisa Keillor
- Maggie Keeble
- Mary Turner
- Premila Fade
- Rebecca Tiberini
- Rob George
- Rowan Harwood
- Sarah Russell
- Simon Conroy
- Vikky Morris
- Vincent Docherty