Centre for Policy on Ageing



Views of elderly people on living wills — interview study
Author(s)	Rebekah Schiff, Chakravarthi Rajkumar, Christopher Bulpitt
Journal title	British Medical Journal, vol 320, no 7250, 17 June 2000
Pages	pp 1640-1641
Keywords	Medical care ; Terminal care ; Rights [elderly] ; Wills.
Annotation	Living wills or advance statements record people's healthcare wishes in case they are unable to contribute to a decision concerning their health care in the future. While the views on North Americans on this subject are well documented, there have been no reports on the views of older people in England. This study aimed to determine the knowledge of 74 older in-patients in the UK on living wills and their healthcare choices. Despite little previous knowledge, many were interested in the living will concept. Most had clear views on the issues raised: 92% indicated that they would no longer wish to be prolonged by medical intervention. A living will specially designed for older people may be appropriate and is being prepared. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-000719203 A
Classmark	LK: LV: IKR: VTH *
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.