70 per cent of Australians would like to die at home, but the reality is only 14 per cent us do, according to the Grattan Institute.
Around half of us will die in hospital with another third passing away in residential aged care.
This week is National Palliative Care Week so we decided to do some number crunching – and the figures will surprise you.
Fewer of us are dying than you would think – in 2014-15, there were 155,600 deaths recorded compared to 305,300 births in 2015.
Time to talk about death
But more of us are dying in hospital.
Statistics released this week by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) show that palliative care is now our fastest growing cause of hospitalisations, jumping 19 per cent from 2010-11 to 2014-15. At the same time, average hospitalisations grew just 15 per cent.
Around half of the people who die as an admitted patient (46 per cent) would have received palliative care.
But Palliative Care Australia says their research shows between 50 and 90 per cent of people who die could benefit from palliative care.
This can only happen if we plan ahead and have the conversation early. Talk to your loved ones about your end-of-life wishes and ask your aged care provider about palliative care options.
Palliative Care Australia has a free Dying to Talk Discussion Starter that you can access here.
