Symptom Burden At End-Of-Life Higher Among Low-Wealth Older Adults

Older adults with low wealth at the end of life were more likely to have a higher symptom burden than those with medium or high wealth. Multimorbidity, functional impairment, and dementia were more common in the low-wealth group. Symptom burden at end-of-life included difficulty breathing, pain, movement problems, depression, confusion, fatigue, irritability, and incontinence. Having seven symptoms was considered a high burden.

For this comparison, the focus was on the value of the person’s assets, with low wealth at less than $6,000; medium wealth at $6,000 to $120,000, and high wealth at more . . .