Attitudes toward dying not that different
Americans of all ages, ethnicity, and religious backgrounds view their own deaths with a sense of dread and procrastination, according to a study published in October 1997. Americans fear dying hooked to machines, the study says. However, they avoid discussing their fears with others and don't put their wishes in writing because the subject is so unpleasant.
The report, titled The Quest to Die with Dignity, takes previous research efforts a step further by exposing common viewpoints and opinions analyzed by race, religion, and age, as well as an overall analysis. (See editor's note at right for ordering information.)
The study was conducted by Appleton, WI-based American Health Decisions, a national coalition of citizens' groups concerned about ethical issues. The three-month effort involved 36 intensive focus groups of 385 people in 32 cities.
Challenge common beliefs
The results challenge the commonly held belief that age, ethnic, and religious differences account for differences in attitudes about the end of life, says Beverly A. Tyler, lead author of the study and executive director of Georgia Health Decisions in Atlanta. Here are a few highlights of the study's findings:
1. Americans do not think the current health care system is equipped to deal with dying patients because it is designed to cure the sick. Many Americans feel disconnected from their physicians, especially if they picked a physician from a list imposed by a managed care plan.
2. People can come up with virtually limitless excuses for not talking about death, and some are afraid of "jinxing" themselves by planning for death. Some have a vague faith that family members will know the right thing to do when the time comes.
3. People confuse living wills with the kind wills outlining the distribution of property after death. They often misunderstand what a hospice is.
4. Many worry that if they spell out end-of-life wishes in an advance directive, it could be too confining and result in life support being terminated too quickly. Others feel it does no good to express wishes because they don't believe the wishes will be followed.
5. People don't want to burden family members financially, emotionally, or physically during their deaths and weigh these factors when thinking about end-of-life care. As a result, they may forgo expensive treatments or "pull the plug" rather than languish with a low quality of life in a hospital.
When making decisions for loved ones, the tendency is to act in reverse and embrace expensive treatments and adopt a "try everything" mentality rather than give up too soon.
(Editor's note: Copies of The Quest to Die with Dignity are $15. To order, write: American Health Decisions, P.O. Box 599, Appleton, WI 54912 Telephone orders are not accepted.)
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