My mum is dying - hospice or home?

RichJ 6 years ago

3 replies

My mum is 89. She had a mastectomy 18 months ago, most of her bowel removed 9 months ago and now she has active s4 cancer in both lungs and her liver. The doctors have told us any care will be purely palliative from now on. She is very brave and stoic. 

As a family we're just about to talk about how to proceed and how we want the end to be - i.e. hospice or home. What advice and guidance can anyone offer on making this terrible choice?

T hank you.

Carly1412 6 years ago

Its very difficult. My aunt wanted to die at home with family. Luckily we were able to provide this with excellent support from nurses and gps. Not everyone is lucky enough to provide this

Support 6 years ago

Edited by Support 6 years ago

Carly1412 thank you for sharing your own experience with RichJ. We are pleased to read that your aunt was able to die at home with family, as she wanted. Take care. 

Support 6 years ago

Hello RichJ,

I’m sorry to read about your mum’s illness and all that she has experienced over the past 18 months.

Choosing where to be cared for is an important part of planning ahead and it’s understandable that you are seeking guidance on this as a family. As an illness progresses so can health and social needs, we feature information on our website about different places to be cared for which you may find useful here: https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/help/support/terminal-illness/preparing/choosing-where .

If you would like to talk about things in more detail please call our Freephone Support Line on 0800 090 2309, or get in touch with us through our web chat function here: https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/help/support/marie-curie-support-line

Best Wishes

Ross

Marie Curie Support Line Team