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Table 1 Decedent characteristics (n = 375)

From: End-of-life experience for older adults in Ireland: results from the Irish longitudinal study on ageing (TILDA)

  

%

N

Gender

Female

46%

171

Living alone

Yes

44%

166

Education (highest achieved)

Tertiary/higher

15%

57

Location of residence

A rural area

47%

156

Medical or GP card

Yes

87%

326

Private health insurance

Yes

37%

139

Diagnosis of

Heart disease

55%

205

 

Cancer

46%

174

 

Dementia

13%

48

Short illness

Yes

20%

75

Frailty

Yes

38%

141

  

Mean

(Range)

Age

Years

77.7

(71–86)

ADL

Total (/6)

2.4

(0–6)

Chronic conditions

Total (/17)

2.9

(2–4)

  1. Range: 25th% to 75th%. All variables measured at death via end-of-life interview except ‘Education’, which was recorded at first TILDA interview; ‘Location’ and ‘Frailty’, which were drawn from the last TILDA interview by the decedent; and diagnosis/total of serious chronic conditions, which were collated from all participant Waves and end-of-life interview
  2. Definitions
  3. Medical Cards provide free access to a GP, community health services, dental services, prescription medicine costs, hospital care and other benefits; access is provided on the basis of means and age; 38% of the population have a medical card including 89% of people over 70 years [36]. ‘Diagnosis of’: binary variable = 1 if in either the participant’s Wave 1 or Wave 2 interview, or the end-of-life interview completed by a family member or friend, a doctor had told the participant that they had this condition. ‘Heart disease’: any one of angina, heart attack, congestive heart failure (CHF), stroke; ‘Dementia’: any one of dementia, Alzheimer’s, serious memory impairment; ‘Short Illness’: Was the person ill for a week or less prior to death?; ‘Frailty’: A binary variable was generated indicating the presence of frailty as a FI score greater than 0.25; ‘ADL’: Activities of Daily Living. How many of the following six activities did the person who died require help with in the last 3 months of life: dressing, crossing a room, bathing, eating, getting in/out of bed, using the toilet; ‘Chronic conditions’: total number of serious chronic conditions, using absence/presence (0|1) of angina, heart attack, CHF, stroke, cardiac arrhythmia, hypertension, diabetes, chronic lung disease, cancer, Parkinson’s, psychiatric problems including depression or anxiety, alcohol or drug abuse, dementia, stomach ulcers, cirrhosis or serious liver damage, thyroid problems, kidney damage
  4. Reference cases
  5. Living alone: Living with others; Education: Primary or secondary; Location of residence: Dublin, urban or peri-urban
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BMC Health Services Research

ISSN: 1472-6963

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