End-of-Life Experiences Among “Kinless” Older Adults: A Nationwide Register-Based Study

Abstract

Background: The population of older adults who are unpartnered and childless (i.e., “kinless”) is increasing across the globe, and may be at risk for lower quality end-of-life (EoL) experiences due to lack of family support, assistance, and advocacy. Yet, little research exists on the EoL experiences of “kinless” older adults.

Objectives: To document associations between family structure (i.e., presence or absence of partner or child) and intensity of EoL experiences (i.e., visits to medicalized settings before death).

Design: The study design is a cross-sectional population-based register study of the population of Denmark.

Subjects: Participants include all adults age 60 years and older who died of natural causes in Denmark from 2009 to 2016 (n = 137,599 decedents).

Results: “Kinless” older adults (reference = has partner, has child) were the least likely group to visit the hospital (two or more times; odds ratio [OR] = 0.74, confidence interval [CI] = 0.70–0.77), emergency department (one or more times; OR = 0.90, CI = 0.86–0.93), and intensive care unit (one or more times; OR = 0.71, CI = 0.67–0.75) before death.

Conclusions: “Kinless” older adults in Denmark were less likely to experience medically intensive care at the EoL. Further research is needed to understand factors associated with this pattern to ensure that all individuals receive high quality EoL care regardless of their family structure and family tie availability.