[End-of-life care in the Czech Republic]

Rapid demographic changes and rising prevalence of chronic disease bring about changing demands on health and social care. Declining mortality in higher age groups and increasing life expectancy results in changing structure of users of health services, the structure of causes of death and, of course, in the age distribution of deaths. The Czech Republic is among the countries with the most rapidly aging populations.Although large majority of people wish to age and also to die at home, in 2012, nearly three-quarters of people died in a hospital or other health and social facilities. Despite the deteriorating health of residents of residential social services and the high and increasing number of people dying in those institutions, the availability and quality of health care in those facilities is very problematic. Palliative care and long-term care should respond to the changing needs of our population, arising from rapidly ageing population and increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, regardless of whether such care is provided in health or social care facilities.