A report by Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) shows that without targeted investment and planning, Ireland is facing a potential future crisis in end-of-life care and support for people who are bereaved.
In the report Dying, Death and Bereavement in Ireland 2026, the IHF reveals emerging trends in key areas relating to the experience of dying, death and bereavement in Ireland. The national charity highlights areas of concern and outlines actions and recommendations that will deliver improvements in key areas.
The findings include:
- Ireland’s older population is growing rapidly and the number of people aged over 65 is projected to double in the next 20 years, surpassing 1.5 million by the year 2046. While currently around 35,000 people die in Ireland each year, this is expected to grow to 49,000 by 2046.
- Two-thirds of people who lost a loved- one indicated that the person had not
been told by a medical professional that they were likely to die. This lack of communication meant that the person dying missed opportunities to make appropriate arrangements and family members were not fully aware that their loved ones’ death was imminent, said the IHF.
- The number of people dying in Ireland from a condition that will require general and specialist palliative care is set to increase by 57 per cent in the next 20 years, from 25,669 to 40,355.
- A lack of out-of-hours support for people receiving end-of-life care may be leading to an increase in people attending an emergency department when medical intervention is required. Over a five-year period (2019-2023), almost 5,500 people died in or on the way to emergency departments.
- There is currently no statutory right to bereavement leave in Ireland, which means that employers have no legal obligation to offer time off to employees who have lost a loved one. IHF research indicated that two out of three people who were recently bereaved were in employment and more than half of people surveyed changed their working arrangement following a loss.
The IHF says a Register of Advance Healthcare Directives should be delivered by the Government to ensure that preferences are clearly documented
