The Presence of Family and Friends at the End of Life in French Overseas Departments

Mathieu Burner, University of Strasbourg
Laurent Bubeck, University of Strasbourg
Faustine Champain, University of Strasbourg
Sophie Pennec, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Mélanie Lepori, University of Strasbourg

Introduction With more people dying at home in Overseas-France than mainland, the support of family and friends is more important. We seek to characterise the potential network of care and the one involve during patients' end-of-life. Data and methods The data come from the End-of-Life in Overseas-France survey (2022) conducted among doctors who certified deaths using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 1 815 questionnaires were completed. We identified the persons present during the last month of life and determined their involvement in the end-of-life care. Specific analyses on cancer patients and people with cognitive disorders were carried out. Results The relatives known by physicians are mainly children (74.9% of deceased). A third of patients had a spouse in their immediate circle, and another third had other family members. The persons the most involved during the last month of life are children and spouses where there was a spouse. In the event of cognitive impairment, close family relations are more likely to be involved, but looking at each kin separately, the spouse, friends and neighbours are less likely to be present. Those suffering from cancer receive more support than those with another cause of death. .

Keywords: Health and Morbidity

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