End of life care: dying at home

What is the video about?

Most people say they would like to die at home, but we know that only about 20 % get their final wish.  Good domiciliary care is crucial if people are to be able to die at home.  In this film a palliative care social worker is interviewed about the skills and understanding that are needed to make sure people can die with dignity and respect.  It shows members of the support team in Lancashire discussing care preferences with a man at the end of life and then making sure the practical services he needs are in place. The film also features the Majlish Home Care Service in East London, which provides culturally-appropriate services to people in the Bangladeshi and Bengali communities who choose to die at home. The care workers employed are all from the same communities as the people they work with.

Messages for practice

1. Good domiciliary care is crucial if people are to be able to die at home with dignity and respect.
2. Listening and communication skills are needed to achieve quality personalised palliative care at the end of life.
3. Establishing  good relationships with family members is a key part of the role of those providing domiciliary care.
4. A person at the end of life may have physical, social, financial and spiritual needs which need to be identified and supported.

Who will find this useful?

Those providing front line care and those managing or training staff working in domiciliary care