Too Many Seniors Have No Say in Their Final Care Options

Almost a year ago I wrote about the need for older people to ensure they, or their ‘health power-of-attorney’, are fully informed of their health care options, and that they should make some decisions – called an advance directive – about how they want to be treated if they become unable to make decisions for themselves. I quoted a study of the situation in the UK.  Now a study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine presents the situation in the USA in this regard. 

Data were obtained from surveys of 3,476 people over 60 who had died between 2000 and 2006.  Of these, the course of death could be influenced in 42.4% instances (i.e. in 1,474 cases); and 70% of these subjects (i.e. 1,036) lacked decision-making capacity.  In turn, 32.4% (336) had no advance directive, or living will.  This means that more than 1 in 5 (336/1,474=22.8%) will be subjected to final care without having made any input into how they are to be treated – aggressively, or with ‘comfort care’.  Further findings in the study show that people who had prepared advance directives received care that strongly reflected their wishes. 

One can argue with the numbers, but it remains clear that everyone should have a ‘health power-of-attorney’, who can take over supervision of adherence to well-prepared Advance Directives. Five Wishes provides an excellent series of fill-in-the-blanks questions that will build an Advance Directive for you.