Social science & medicine
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Social science & medicine · Dec 1997
Wishes regarding the use of life-sustaining treatments among elderly persons in Israel: an explanatory model.
This study investigates the wishes of Israeli elderly concerning the use of life-sustaining treatments (LST) at the end of life, and suggests an explanatory causal model for these wishes. The data include 1138 Israeli elderly (70+) respondents. The results indicate that most of the elderly want to prolong their life in mild health conditions, including having cancer with a relatively good prognosis, while only a small percentage want LST in severe illness. ⋯ The results of this study shed some light on the explanatory factors of wishes for LST in severe illness conditions. More research is needed in order to promote social understanding of the concerns and wishes of the most relevant parties regarding the use of LST. This is a necessary condition for the formulation of new societal guidelines for general policy and daily behavior.