Preferred Place for End-of-Life and Awareness of Palliative Care among Elderly People Living in Areas with a High Aging Population and Limited Healthcare Resources
- VernacularTitle:高齢化率が高く医療資源の少ない地域に住む高齢者の希望する最期の療養場所および緩和ケアに関する意識調査
- Author:
Satomi SASAKI
1
;
Akira TAKEUCHI
2
;
Nao ITO
3
Author Information
- Keywords: elderly people; palliative care; end-of-life care; rural population; rural hospitals
- From:Palliative Care Research 2025;20(1):57-62
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
- Abstract: Objective: This study aimed to clarify the preferred place for end-of-life care and the perceptions of palliative care among elderly people living in areas with a high aging rate and limited healthcare resources. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted in June 2022, one and a half years after the palliative care team (PCT) was established, in a community with an aging population of over 40%. Results: Among 1,298 patients aged 65 years or older, 475 (36.6%) provided valid responses. Of these, 317 (66.7%) expressed a preference to spend as much time as possible at home for end-of-life care, and 157 (49.5%) indicated that it would be difficult to spend their final days at home. In addition, 277 (58.3%) of respondents had heard about palliative care, and 437 (92.0%) had never heard of PCT at the hospital. Conclusion: Our findings revealed the preferred place for end-of-life care and awareness of palliative care among elderly people living in areas with a highly aging population and limited healthcare resources. It is necessary to promote palliative care in hospitals and develop a collaborative system with community healthcare providers.
