At the turn of the century, the life expectancy was 46 and most people died quickly. Today, life expectancy is 78 and, because of medical advances, many people die slowly. Hospitals and nursing homes now do the work families used to do. Most Americans say they want to die at home, but only about 10 percent do so. One reason is that dying people are kept alive through aggressive medical procedures such as feeding tubes and ventilators.
Family members become visitors rather than caregivers, and the patient often dies alone.
Towey, Gross, hospice workers and others say better planning can change this scenario. They offer the following suggestions to help you get started. Talk about your own or your loved one's death. Ideally, this should happen before a crisis. Emergency rooms are not the place to make critical decisions.