Hamburger Sterbefälle unter häuslicher Verwahrlosung vor und während der COVID-19-Pandemie

The aim of this study was to obtain demographic information on a group of decedents that has received little attention so far and to examine the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic influenced their lives and deaths.

Individuals who had died at home in squalor during the years 2019 and 2021 in Hamburg were identified using police case files. These cases were compared in terms of age, gender, nationality, circumstances of discovery, living conditions, state of the body, indications of substance abuse, and medical care.

A total of 468 decedents met the criteria for this study. Of these, 77.1% were male, and the average age was 64 years, which is well below the average life expectancy of the German population. The majority (90.6%) lived alone, 36.9% showed indications of substance abuse, and (only) 33.8% had evidence of medical care. Based on the parameters of this study, apart from a decrease in registered medical care, the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a significant overall impact on the affected individuals.

The limited impact of the pandemic on this cohort can be explained by the fact that this group had already lived in social isolation prior to lockdowns and quarantine measures; however, the study’s findings raise fundamental questions about the identification and accessibility of this group, as well as potential intervention strategies. Close and productive collaboration between the Social Psychiatric Service, the Social Welfare Office, the police and forensic medicine could be of critical importance.

This study highlights an isolated, yet numerically significant group of individuals who died prematurely and in undignified circumstances in one of Germany’s largest cities.