At the turn of the 20th Century, the life expectancy of U.S. citizens was 50 years. Now 73 percent of deaths are among people at least 65 years old and 24 percent are among those at least 85 years old. Increased life expectancy is not the only thing that has changed, however. So have people's decisions about the end of life. Dr. David McCurdy, educational and research associate at the Park Ridge Center for the Study of Health, Faith and Ethics in Chicago, told staff at the Churchwide Offices of the ELCA on Wednesday, March 14, that because it is possible to do things medically once thought impossible, people's expectations have changed, too.
People expect that medicine can do miracles.
These high expectations shape their decisions about the end of their lives. We still will die, but we have greater difficulty incorporating this fact in our thinking. The end of life is prolonged and there is often under-treated pain or unwanted or futile therapies. The Living Will or Power of Attorney for Health Care have become common ways that people use to handle these unintended consequences. The study, which concluded in 1995, showed that it was not doctors or nurses that prolonged the end of life.