While around 70 per cent of Australians say they would prefer to die at home, the Sydney Morning Herald recently noted that the Productivity Commission has reported that tens of thousands of Australians are instead dying in places that do not reflect that choice or their care needs.

As a health economist writing for The Conversation website has discussed, provided symptoms can be controlled, most people at the end of life prefer to die at home, yet around half end up dying in a hospital.

But what are the concerns and decisions to be made? The ABC’s World Today program explored some of the key issues around dying at home.

Conversation starter

Have you experienced a death in the home? What support did you receive or give? What were the challenges? What were the positives? Would you want that for yourself or others?