Elderly patients are receiving “invasive and potentially harmful” treatments at the end of life

Marie Curie responds to the University of New South Wales research which highlights that more than a third of elderly patients who are dying receive “invasive and potentially harmful” treatments in their last weeks of life.

Professor Bill Noble, Medical Director at the terminal illness charity, Marie Curie, said:

“We need to get past the idea that providing palliative care is giving up on a patient. Early access to palliative care will greatly improve quality of life for both patients and their families and also gives people a chance to have honest conversations about treatment options, and what to expect as their condition progresses. This makes harmful interventions at the end of someone’s life less likely and helps families deal with their impending bereavement.

“Research in the USA showed that palliative care can lengthen survival by reducing the perceived need for chemotherapy when patients are already very ill.

“Television and film is often guilty of depicting medicine as a heroic battle rather than something that’s facilitating a natural lifespan. This damaging portrayal perpetuates the unrealistic expectations about what doctors can do for patients, especially those with terminal illnesses who might be approaching the end of their lives.”