Many Can’t Make End-of-Life Decisions

Many elderly people need someone to make decisions about their end-of-life health care, a new study finds. Researchers said it shows the need to write down what kind of care you want when you are still able to do so. The study included 3,746 elderly people. About 3 out of 10 were unable to make an important treatment decision before they died. Some developed dementia or had a stroke before dying. These are some of the reasons that people can’t make their own decisions. About 2 out of 3 of those who weren’t able to make a decision had a living will or had given someone a written proxy to decide on their behalf. The Associated Press wrote about the study April 1. It appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.