The truth about end-of-life care

By Staff | December 8, 2014 | Last updated on December 8, 2014
1 min read

When doctors discuss treatment options with elderly and chronically ill patients, there’s one question they dread asking, reports National Post.

That’s whether patients and their families want doctors to resuscitate in the event of cardiac arrest, according to contributor Brett Belchetz, who’s also an emergency room physician.

Most patients say yes, he adds, but what they don’t realize is resuscitation is often unsuccessful. The success rate in hospitals is about 15%, he writes, while the rate in nursing homes is only 2%. That compares to the 75% success rate in movies, which also fail to highlight that more than 50% of survivors suffer from broken bones and brain damage.

Read more on his thoughts on long-term and end-of-life care.

Also read:

Educate clients about advanced care directives

The perils of not planning for incapacity

Dementia puts families, advisors at risk

When capacity’s in question, what can you tell the kids?

Help your clients deal with Alzheimer’s

10 tips for PoA

Advisor.ca staff

Staff

The staff of Advisor.ca have been covering news for financial advisors since 1998.