Table 2.
Characteristics of informants
| Total n = 180 | ||
|---|---|---|
| n | (%) | |
| Sex | ||
| Female | 123 | (68) |
| Male | 57 | (32) |
| Relationship to deceased | ||
| Husband or wife | 18 | (10) |
| Son or daughter | 97 | (54) |
| Other relative | 40 | (22) |
| Friend | 8 | (4) |
| Matron or wardena | 15 | (8) |
| Unknown | 2 | (1) |
| Frequency of contact with deceased study participant before they died | ||
| Lived with her/him | 29 | (16) |
| Daily | 45 | (25) |
| At least once a week | 77 | (43) |
| Less than once a week | 29 | (16) |
| Interval from study participant’s death to retrospective informant interview | ||
| Years: median [IQR] | 2.3 | [1.3–3.7] |
Footnotes
Column percentages total 100% for each sub-group - apparent slight discrepancies due to rounding
aMatron or other member of staff in a care home, or warden in a sheltered housing scheme
Most informants were women, usually relatives, most often a daughter or son, and the majority had been in close contact with the deceased participant before they died: 84% were either living with them, visiting daily or seeing them more than once a week