Although advance directives are crucial – the primary tool for individuals to communicate their wishes if they become incapacitated and are unable to make their own health care decisions – 64 percent of Americans have not completed one. The research comes from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. It was reported… Continue reading Most Adults Don’t Have Advance Care Directives
Tag: advance directive
Older Married Couples and Advance Directives
A study published in June 2017 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined the effects spouses had on the decision of older adults to have Advance directives (ADs), the legal documents you can use to state in advance what medical treatments you do or do not wish to have under certain circumstances. You… Continue reading Older Married Couples and Advance Directives
Health System Not Meeting End-of-Life Needs
The U.S. health care system is not properly designed to meet the needs of patients nearing the end of life and those of their families, according to a September 2014 report from the Institute of Medicine. The report says that major changes to the system are necessary. A release from IOM notes that the 21-member… Continue reading Health System Not Meeting End-of-Life Needs