
Choosing Your Place of Care
There are many options for where you can live during your end of life. At Irish Hospice Foundation, we advocate for ‘a good death’ wherever you are.
You can live and die well at home or at the home of a loved one. There are community resources to support Carers through all stages of life, including end-of-life care. Family Carers Ireland, in particular the Last Aid programme, is an excellent place to begin finding supports. Last Aid is run in partnership with Family Carers Ireland. This programme trains people how to care for the dying in their home.
You can live and die well in hospital. Many hospitals in Ireland have availed of our Hospice Friendly Hospitals programme, in collaboration with the HSE. These hospitals provide more private and well-designed spaces for families to be during the end of life and death in a hospital.
You can live and die well in nursing homes. In partnership with the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) and in collaboration with the HSE, we developed Caru, a free quality improvement programme available to all nursing home staff across Ireland. The aim of Caru is to support and improve the delivery of compassionate, person-centred, palliative, end-of-life and bereavement care to residents and family members in nursing homes.
You can live and die well in hospice. For many people who would prefer to be at home, but who might have healthcare needs that prevent it, hospices provide excellent palliative care and support for individuals and their families at end of life. Find out about your local hospice and palliative care support at Irish Association for Palliative Care.
Dying Well at Home
We know that most people, almost three-quarters, want to have a good death at home; but we also know that only a quarter of people are actually dying at home.
A number of resources are available to help individuals die well at home. Please visit our Dying Well at Home page, and our resources on Caring for Someone At Home Who is Nearing End of Life.
Nurses for Night Care can offer relief for carers in the final weeks of life. In partnership with the Irish Cancer Society, Irish Hospice Foundation funds this programme, which sends nurses to stay overnight with people dying from non-cancer related illnesses in their home. This offers relief and rest to families and loved ones at stressful times. You must avail of this programme through your GP.