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Table 1 Characteristics of deceased study participants

From: Dying comfortably in very old age with or without dementia in different care settings – a representative “older old” population study

 

No dementia, no cognitive impairment

n = 33

Minimal-mild dementia, moderate cognitive impairment n = 81

Moderate-severe dementia, severe cognitive impairment n = 66

Total n = 180

n

 

(%)

 

n

 

(%)

 

n

 

(%)

 

n

 

(%)

 

Age at death

 Median [IQR]

89.7

 

[87.1–92.0]

90.7

 

[86.9–94.2]

92.3

 

[88.5–95.7]

91.3

 

[87.5–94.4]

 [range]

  

[81.6–102.8]

  

[79.2–106.7]

  

[89.9–100.8]

  

[79.2–106.7]

 ≤ 89 years old

19

 

(58)

 

36

 

(44)

 

23

 

(35)

 

78

 

(43)

 

 ≥ 90 years old

14

 

(42)

 

45

 

(56)

 

43

 

(65)

 

102

 

(57)

 

Sex

 Male

16

 

(48)

 

27

 

(33)

 

14

 

(21)

 

57

 

(32)

 

 Female

17

 

(52)

 

54

 

(67)

 

52

 

(79)

 

123

 

(68)

 

Marital status

 Married

5

 

(15)

 

16

 

(20)

 

17

 

(26)

 

38

 

(21)

 

 Widowed

27

 

(82)

 

54

 

(67)

 

42

 

(64)

 

123

 

(68)

 

 Separated/Divorced

1

 

(3)

 

0

 

(0)

 

1

 

(2)

 

2

 

(1)

 

 Single

0

 

(0)

 

11

 

(14)

 

6

 

(9)

 

17

 

(9)

 

Education

 Left school aged ≤14

17

 

(52)

 

56

 

(69)

 

42

 

(64)

 

115

 

(64)

 

 Left school aged ≥15

16

 

(48)

 

25

 

(31)

 

23

 

(35)

 

64

 

(36)

 

 School leaving age unknown

0

 

(0)

 

0

 

(0)

 

1

 

(2)

 

1

 

(<1)

 

Social classa

 Non-manual

17

 

(52)

 

30

 

(37)

 

32

 

(48)

 

79

 

(44)

 

 Manual

16

 

(48)

 

51

 

(63)

 

32

 

(48)

 

99

 

(55)

 

 Social class unknown

0

 

(0)

 

0

 

(0)

 

2

 

(3)

 

2

 

(1)

 

Place of residence last interviewb

 Home (house, flat or ‘granny flat’)

31

 

(94)

 

73

 

(90)

 

30

 

(45)

 

134

 

(74)

 

  alone

20

 

(65)

 

48

 

(66)

 

14

 

(47)

 

82

 

(61)

 

  with others

11

 

(35)

 

25

 

(34)

 

16

 

(53)

 

52

 

(39)

 

 Long-term carea

2

 

(6)

 

8

 

(10)

 

36

 

(55)

 

46

 

(26)

 

  residential care home

2

 

(100)

 

7

 

(88)

 

33

 

(92)

 

42

 

(92)

 

  nursing home

0

 

(0)

 

0

 

(0)

 

2

 

(6)

 

2

 

(4)

 

  long-stay ward

0

 

(0)

 

1

 

(13)

 

1

 

(3)

 

2

 

(4)

 

Disability in activities of daily living when last interviewed

 No disability

7

 

(21)

 

2

 

(2)

 

1

 

(2)

 

10

 

(6)

 

 Disability: instrumental ADLs only

5

 

(15)

 

14

 

(17)

 

1

 

(2)

 

20

 

(11)

 

 Disability: basic + instrumental ADLs

21

 

(64)

 

65

 

(80)

 

64

 

(97)

 

150

 

(83)

 

Receiving service support (if community-dwelling)

 None

10

 

(32)

 

21

 

(29)

 

10

 

(33)

 

41

 

(31)

 

 Once a week

7

 

(23)

 

21

 

(29)

 

10

 

(33)

 

38

 

(28)

 

 More than once

14

 

(45)

 

29

 

(40)

 

8

 

(27)

 

51

 

(38)

 

 Unknown

0

 

(0)

 

2

 

(3)

 

2

 

(7)

 

4

 

(3)

 

Hospital admissions between last interview and death

 None

17

 

(52)

 

42

 

(52)

 

39

 

(59)

 

98

 

(54)

 

 One or more

15

 

(45)

 

35

 

(43)

 

25

 

(38)

 

75

 

(42)

 

 Unknown

1

 

(3)

 

4

 

(5)

 

2

 

(3)

 

7

 

(4)

 

Hospital admissions per year between last interview and death, if any

 Median [IQR]

0.9

 

[0.6–1.7]

0.7

 

[0.5–1.7]

0.6

 

[0.4–1.2]

0.8

 

[0.5–1.6]

 [range]

  

[(0.2–29.6]

  

[0.2–3.7]

  

[0.2–4.6]

  

[0.2–29.6]

Duration of final illness

 Less than 1 week

8

 

(24)

 

19

 

(23)

 

17

 

(26)

 

44

 

(24)

 

 7 days up to 1 month

16

 

(49)

 

36

 

(44)

 

28

 

(42)

 

80

 

(44)

 

 1 month or more

9

 

(27)

 

26

 

(32)

 

21

 

(32)

 

56

 

(32)

 

Place of care during final illnessb

 Home

11

 

(33)

 

17

 

(21)

 

5

 

(8)

 

33

 

(18)

 

 Long-term care

4

 

(12)

 

18

 

(22)

 

50

 

(76)

 

72

 

(40)

 

 Hospital

18

 

(55)

 

46

 

(57)

 

11

 

(17)

 

75

 

(42)

 

Place of deathb

 Home

4

 

(12)

 

12

 

(15)

 

3

 

(5)

 

19

 

(11)

 

 Long-term care

7

 

(21)

 

19

 

(23)

 

50

 

(76)

 

76

 

(42)

 

 Hospital

22

 

(67)

 

50

 

(62)

 

13

 

(20)

 

85

 

(47)

 

Place of death not usual address

 No

7

 

(21)

 

25

 

(31)

 

43

 

(65)

 

75

 

(42)

 

 Yes

26

 

(79)

 

56

 

(69)

 

23

 

(35)

 

105

 

(58)

 

Time from last interview to death

 Years: median [IQR]

1.8

 

[1.2–2.5]

1.6

 

[0.8–2.5]

2.2

 

[1.0–3.3]

1.8

 

[1.0–2.8]

 [range]

  

[0.1–5.3]

  

[0.3–5.7]

  

[0.1–6.8]

  

[0.1–6.8]

  1. Footnotes
  2. Column percentages total 100% - apparent slight discrepancies due to rounding
  3. aSocial class categorised following contemporary UK Office of National Statistics grading of occupation reported at baseline interview:
  4. Non-manual = I, II or IIIa, Manual = IIIb, IV or V
  5. bHome: community-dwelling in a house, flat, ‘granny flat’ (part of a relative’s home) or sheltered accommodation
  6. Long-term care: in an older people’s residential home, nursing home or long-stay ward
  7. Hospital: in an acute hospital
  8. Characteristics of the deceased, shown separately for study participants of different cognitive status and overall, summarise data drawn from interviews with the participants before they died and proxy informants after the participant died, CC75C study administrative data and death certificates
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BMC Geriatrics

ISSN: 1471-2318

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