Loneliness in the last days of life
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2022, our founder and CEO Liz Pryor explores this year’s theme of loneliness and how it can effect the end of a person’s life…
“It’s quite a thing to ask someone to sit with a dying stranger.”
“Most people experience loneliness at some point in life. For some it is fleeting, while others become familiar with it.
To be lonely in your final days and hours on earth though – that is a particular sadness.
The solution is simple and inexpensive – the unhurried presence of another person. But all across the UK, this need is going unmet in 10,000’s of people who die alone in busy hospital wards.”
“We believe that no one deserves to die alone. Our support programmes aim to reduce loneliness at end of life. We equip hospitals to establish, train and run teams of volunteers to make bedside visits to patients in their last days. And our free to call helpline provides somewhere to turn to for people approaching the end of their life, and their loved ones.
Even people who have a large family often feel lonely after receiving a terminal diagnosis. The reality that their days are numbered, the anger, the fear, the helplessness – these are burdens they don’t want to share with family and friends, to protect them.
Last year, volunteers in our partner hospitals supported more than 1,280 patients and 860 friends and family, with over 2,700 visits, despite restrictions to hospital visitors.
Covid-19 lockdowns prompted us to adapt, and we launched a national helpline for those who are dying, or their loved ones. This has been running for over a year, and has already provided more than 230 support sessions.
One gentleman rang us on the day he died. He was lonely, on his own and frightened. You’d be amazed how many people die at home on their own.
A hand to hold. A listening ear. The presence of another person. These simple things become invaluable in the final days and hours of life.
If we can show people that they still matter in their last days, and help family members through one of the most difficult times in their lives, then we have achieved our aim.”
Author: Liz Pryor, founder and CEO.
