Table 1. Characteristics of respondents.

Respondent	Characteristics			Number of interviews
	Sex	Age range1	Illness(es)
1	Woman	81-90	CVA, COPD, rheumatoid arthritis	4
2	Man	≤ 60	CVA	3*
3	Woman	≤ 60	Crohn’s disease	4
4	Woman	71-80	Not able to stand as a result of trauma	4
5	Woman	61-70	CVA, COPD	4
6	Man	71-80	CVA	4
7	Man	61-70	Multiple system atrophy	4
8	Man	81-90	Heart failure	4
9	Woman	81-90	Arthrosis	4
10	Man	> 90	Rheumatoid arthritis	4
11	Woman	81-90	CVA, heart failure	3†
12	Woman	81-90	Huntington’s disease	4
13	Man	71-80	CVA	4
14	Woman	81-90	CVA, diabetes, aneurysm of aorta	5
15	Woman	61-70	Cerebral hemorrhage as a result of trauma	5
16	Woman	> 90	Heart failure	2†
17	Man	81-90	Proximal muscle weakness	2†
18	Woman	71-80	Myocardial infarction, heart failure, poliomyelitis	4
19	Woman	81-90	CVA	4
20	Woman	81-90	Arthrosis, osteoporosis, Transient Ischaemic Attacks	3*
21	Man	71-80	Paralyzed as a result of trauma, diabetes	4
22	Woman	≤ 60	Hydrocefalus as a result of an aneurysm in brains	4

¹Age at the time of the first interview appointment.

^†deceased within data collection period.

^*withdrew from the study.

CVA: Cerebrovascular accident.

COPD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.