In France, Where do People Live in Their Last Month of Life and Where do They Die?

The conditions in which people spend their last days of life is an impassioned topic of public debate, but information about these conditions is scarce. What support do family and friends provide in the last weeks of life? What is the extent of medical intervention? How many people die at home? Based on surveys in other European countries, INED conducted a survey among physicians in France who had certified one or more deaths in December 2009. As well as information concerning medical procedures carried out and treatments administered, the survey recorded a precise description of the place where each deceased person was living one month, one week and one day before their death. In this article, the authors analyse the last month of people's lives and show that many move from one place to another during that time. The pattern depends on age and sex, but also varies with type (or types) of pathology and place of residence a month before death. The frequency of transfer to hospital in the days or weeks before death shows that it is difficult for families and care home staff to manage the very last needs of a dying person. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]