Dying Spaces in Dying Places

Abstract

In England and Wales each year over 400,000 people of all ages die in institutions, most of them in hospitals (National Statistics, 2007). Statistics on care home deaths are difficult to obtain; but it is estimated that about 23 per cent of deaths occur there, the majority among women over 85 (National Statistics, 2007). Bearing these figures in mind, the care home industry itself is big business with admissions set to increase alongside the growth in the number of older people in the UK population (Laing and Buisson, 2006). The profile of residents in care homes reflects this ageing population in that people who are admitted to these institutions are likely to be older and frailer than in the past (Komaromy, 2002; Sidell and Komaromy, 2003). What is more, between one quarter and a third of care home residents die each year; in the UK care home deaths currently stand at around 92,000 a year (Mozley et al., 2004).