NCARE (Nottingham Centre for the Advancement of Research into Supportive, Palliative and End-of-life Care)

Exploring social management of lone deaths

More people than ever before are living alone, leading to concern about social isolation, particularly amongst older people. Solo living increases the likelihood of a person dying alone at home.

When this happens and the person has few friends or relatives, there is the increased chance that their body will be undiscovered for an extended period of time.

This study aims to develop understanding of the social circumstances of lone deaths and to explore responses to such deaths of local authority workers and the news media. Lone deaths may be reported in the local press, usually in terms that suggest the death is a bad one, and often attributing blame to either the person who died or wider society.

We know little about the circumstances in which lone deaths occur, although there is evidence that for some people, dying alone may be a matter of choice. This study will enhance our knowledge of the institutions and processes that we use to manage death and dying. Its findings will also help us to understand more about how we place limits on the socially acceptable choices that people can make in relation to the way in which they die.

 

Publications

NCARE (Nottingham Centre for the Advancement of Research into Supportive, Palliative and End-of-life Care)

University of Nottingham
School of Health Sciences
Queen's Medical Centre
Nottingham, NG7 2HA


email: kristian.pollock@nottingham.ac.uk