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“THE FEAR OF being alone. The fear of the unknown.”
Almost 2,600 people across Ireland have shared their personal views on what they feel is needed for a good death and the fears they have about serious illness and end of life, through the Have Your Say survey by the Irish Hospice Foundation.
Unsurprisingly, the results of the survey show that most people want to be pain-free, to be treated with and to die with dignity, to feel comfortable and cared for, ideally at home.
The biggest worry for people centres around the person’s family, both from the perspective of concern for those who are left behind and how they will cope with loss, as well as concern regarding how the person who is dying will feel as they leave their family.
“Not having my opinions and wishes adhered to. Worried how my family will cope. Extremely worried about what will happen to my disabled adult child. Concerned that there are not enough supports to help in times of bereavement,” one respondent said.
Another said: ”Family and leaving them. I would talk about things with them and let them know my wishes. I have always held my godsons as I have no kids of my own that I want to be cremated and my ashes turned into jewellery for them to wear so they could keep me close.”
The fear of leaving family is closely followed by worries about dying in pain and dying alone.
In just a few words one respondent listed out a number of uncertainties they had about the end of their life.
Pain. Poverty. Homelessness. Being utterly alone. Being helpless. I want to know what to do…
“Dying alone. Like my mother did,” another said.
“Leaving my family behind. Also, that death might be very painful. I don’t worry about being bereaved as it always has to be faced. You just have to cope with that,” one person said.
Earlier this year, the IHF spoke about the need to develop a national strategy in the area of bereavement, palliative and end of life care.
In their pre-Budget submission in July, the foundation said that bereavement was “sadly” forgotten in the recently published Sláintecare report, which set out a 10-year plan to reform healthcare in Ireland.
The foundation said grief is “the common ground on which we all stand” and noted that in the next 10 years:
The document continued: “If current trends continue, 5% of grieving people will require specialist mental health services or psychological intervention.
Given this evidence, it is essential that the healthcare system meets the needs of people facing death and bereavement and ensures that everyone gets equal access to good care.
Before death
Respondents also discussed the concerns that come with living with an advanced illness and approaching the end of life.
Similar to the concerns of dying, pain and dignity were the most commonly discussed topics.
What matters most to people, as they considered living with an advanced illness, is access to adequate pain relief, ensuring that pain is well controlled and ideally that they live and die pain-free, where possible.
Many described their fear of pain and the perceived impact it may have on both themselves and their families.
“I often think about how awful it would be to be in a lot of pain, especially if there are no people around who care,” one person said.
Being treated with and maintaining dignity was of significant importance to people, with many voicing concerns that their independence and voice might be taken away from them.
To be treated as an intelligent adult, to have a say in my care, to talk about it and make decisions about it and to be allowed to die with dignity.
Surprisingly, the issue of euthanasia was discussed by only a handful of participants.
Euthanasia was mentioned just 8 times of the 2517 responses in the section about dignity.
“With a history of Alzheimer’s in my family, I am hoping that euthanasia will be available in Ireland if I am unlucky with my genes,” one person said.
“Having control over my own mortality. I want to leave this life when I choose. I want the option of euthanasia,” another said.
Ireland’s first charter on death and bereavement is being launched today at the Forum on End of Life conference organised by the IHF in Dublin Castle. The charter is based on the results of the Have Your Say survey.
Speaking ahead of the Forum, Chair of the National Council of the Forum on End of Life in Ireland, Justice Catherine McGuinness said:
As citizens and as a society we need to break the taboo that surrounds death.
We need to support each other to develop a greater sense of personal responsibility and put effective systems in place to enable people to act responsibly.
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One can only hope the banks recent advertising blitz on every single app imaginable is a positive sign. Would be a real shame if it closes and vomit enducing if that shower of S$!tes PTSB got there hands on it.
They are still filling new positions as of now pointing to a desire to remain.
The last thing this country needs is LESS competition in the banking sector!
We should be encouraging every euro-zone bank to set up operations in Ireland.
KBC was also bailed out in Belgium..
hope they f@ck off and bring my mortgage with them.
You want them to go leaving less banks and less competition so the others can increase fees
@the truth:
They had no problems causing anxiety and worry to tracker mortgage holders who they moved off their trackers and took seven years to admit it.
It not nice to see anybody worried, but they showed no empathy for their customers who they were diddling out of their trackers and then refused to engage with.
I’m finishing it hard to have too much sympathy for KBC .
Me too the truth. I’ll say a prayer :-)
I went from a fixed rate to a tracker Joan & KBC never tried to take it off me. They have been very helpful to me. Obviously it helps that i’m not in negative equity.
if they take my mortgage with them I don’t give a bollix what they leave darren
Amen trisha
@Trisha Tully: that’s good for you. I’m glad.
it doesn’t make the case I’m speaking of any less true.
KBC acted appallingly to the clients and caused considerable anxiety and failed time and again to engage with them, despite having been directed to by the central bank.
They eventually were forced to apologise .
Is it possible to bank in Ireland without state subsidies. AIB have been bailed out twice in 30 years how can other banks compete when they now the two big Irish banks will get a bail out when ever they get in trouble.
Not all banks were bailed. KBC wasn’t.
@Joe
Parent company KBC were bailed out twice in last 8 years, €3.5 billion by the Federal government in 2008 and a further €3.5 billion by the Flemish government in 2009.
KBC Ireland in turn have twice being bailed out by their Belgian parent and is due to start paying a dividend back to the parent in 2017.
KBC Ireland have been bailed out twice from KBC in Belgium via some of the funds from the 2 bailouts given to KBC by Belgium and Flemish governments in 2007 and 2009
They were in just a big a mess as Irush banks.
KBC bank Ireland were bailed out Google it.
NOT BY THE IRISH TAX PAYER. It was funded to set up retail by Belgium.
You are presenting Kellyanne Conway ‘alternative facts’ there, KBC Ireland were bailed out due to the accumulation of losses and write offs on its mortgage books
Kbc is a bond holder. We bailed them out
@Rebecca De Stanleigh: KBC Ireland were bailed out they were bailed out by the Belgian Government and that is 100% fact
@Brendan Crowe: I see your point and you are correct but also the belgian government bailed the irish branch of KBC
That’s already been sorted, in future it’ll be a ‘bail-in’ that saves the bank. Deposits will be hit.
Metro bank in the U.K. And Toronto Dominion in the U.S have done well to penetrate the retail banking markets against large legacy banks…
To succeed they need to be faster to respond to market demands, have a plan to profitability, decent leadership, appeal to young professionals, be more service orientated, more innovative, sell more ancillary products and services, take advantage of technology to provide better services at less cost.
Unfortunately the recent entrants into the Irish market seem to believe they can beat the legacies by offering the exact same products and services for less margins and overspending on advertising.
Neither appealing heavily to students with promotions, taking a loss on services sold to them and relying on a legacy of deposits from high wealth baby boomers will yield success for a new market entrant.
Wow Drew.. what bank do you run with such enlightening thiughts?..
Drew.
KBC are in Ireland since 1978, hardly a new entrant
Yet only entered the Irish retail/consumer banking market in 2012…
Cormac. You article is full of rubbish.
Get your facts right Rebecca !!!!
My facts are right. Thanks though
The bubble is about to burst again.
If state/public keep bailing banks out it begs the question of why they are not in public ownership full time and their profits used for the public good.
If a bank has 600 million net profit in Q4, who gets that money?
We should not be bailing out banks, we should be purchasing shares.
While it’s no guarantee, currently analysts (Deutsche Bank) suggest they will be staying. The bank is profitable, the recently expanded credit connections between the parent and subsidiary would make a split difficult, and while they can’t comment on the future of operations here till 9th February, they did say that (group-wide) there were no pending mergers or acquisitions.
Deutsche itself exited 10 countries recently… Argentina, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay Denmark, Finland, Norway, Malta and New Zealand. HSBC and Barclays performed similar pull backs.
Profitability is no assurance of a bank remaining in a foreign market, especially in retail banking.
KBC should be nationalised. If you need to ask why, then you obviously do not understand how the economy works. Solidarity with the workers trying to obtain a greater share in the wealth which they create.
@Benjy ..please explain how the Irish government nationalises a Belgium owned bank with a branch’s here ?
Bye bye
I have been warning about the terrible poverty facing Irish neighbors. The figures simply don’t add up. Take subsidies out of farming and the whole thing collapses. We will soon have the highest electricity prices in the world and carbon taxes on burning fuel. Jobs will go , poverty is the result. I makes me cringe
#kbc
I hope my husband isn’t reading this today…who knows what i might say!
#BANKOFME
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