Preferred place of death of elderly women in seoul

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The present it is getting to be on aged society there is increasing that hospital has higher rate for place of death than home. Because we can expect that many patients who are faced with death come to hospital or hospice in the future, we have studied preferred place of death with an old women in seoul to have essential material of plan to understand asking for medical service of death, to divide medical manpowers and equipments and to supplement and to revise of medical educations. METHODS: Through the internet, 71 schools for the elderly. Of 277 an old woman who attending the schools out of 7 schools. We research into preferred place of death by self answering way through the June to July in 2000. RESULTS: The average age was 72.4 years. Of 277 respondents, 87 respondents(32.46%) reply their homes as a place of death and 166(61.94%) reply hospital, 15(5.6%) reply hospice, missing is 9. Statistical significance has connections with only level of education. The highest reason(47.5%) why respondents choose the hospital or hospice is only to reduce their children's burdens. Unlike respondents that education attending period is below 6 year, the relative risk of choosing the hospital or hospice between respondents who are 6 9year and above 9 year is each of 3.66, 5.58. CONCLUSION: This research shows that an elderly women in seoul prefer hospitals or hospice to homes as their place of death.