J Palliat Care
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Family care giving is important for the quality of life of terminally ill patients and their family members. Although family caregivers are generally eager to provide palliative care, at some point it may become too demanding, and then volunteers can make a difference. This four-study paper presents the experiences of families of terminally ill patients with volunteer support. ⋯ The Internet panel revealed that in the Netherlands the general public is aware that volunteers can provide palliative care support, but many people don't know how to contact these volunteers. We must find ways to extend volunteer support in palliative care in the Netherlands and elsewhere. We must also study further the experiences of caregivers of terminally ill patients with volunteers and others who provide palliative care.
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A large representative population survey of 9,500 households reports the association between place of death, diagnosis (cancer vs. noncancer), and use of palliative care services of terminally ill South Australians. Thirty-one percent (1,920) indicated that someone close to them had died of a terminal illness in the preceding five years; 18% had died of noncancer illness and 82% of cancer. Sixty-two percent of deceased individuals accessed palliative care services. ⋯ Compared with cancer patients, those with noncancer illness had died in hospices less frequently (9% vs. 15%; p = 0.0015) and in nursing homes more frequently (15% vs. 5%; p < 0.0001). Similar proportions had died in hospital (60%) and at home (16%-20%). Palliative care service involvement did not reduce institutional deaths, but shifted them from hospital to hospice.