Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Vol 52, Issue 2 S97-102, Copyright © 1997 by The Gerontological Society of America
Preferences for different life-sustaining treatments among elderly persons in Israel
S Carmel and E Mutran
Sociology of Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negey, Beer-Sheva, Israel. sara@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
The purpose of this study was to assess elderly persons' wishes regarding
the use and choice of different life-sustaining treatments (LST). Data were
collected from a random sample of 987 Israeli elderly persons, aged 70+.
Interviewees were questioned about their wishes for artificial feeding,
mechanical ventilation, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation in five different
illness conditions. Results indicate that significantly more of the
respondents would want to prolong their life in mild rather than in severe
illness conditions. Significant differences are found, however, among
subgroups who differ on religiosity, gender, education, and health status.
The findings also indicate that in all five illness conditions, elderly
persons are more likely to want cardiopulmonary resuscitation than
artificial feeding. This is explained by the fact that the public's main
source of information is television dramas, and that there is a lack of
communication about the use of LST among physicians and patients and their
families.
