Abstract
Context: Cognitively impaired older adults frequently need surrogate decision-making near the end-of-life. It is unknown whether differences in the surrogate's relationship to the decedent are associated with different end-of-life treatment choices. Objectives: To describe differences in end-of-life care for community dwelling, cognitively impaired older adults when children and spouses are involved in decision-making. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Results: Among 742 community-dwelling adults with cognitive impairment (mild cognitive impairment or dementia) prior to death, children participated in end-of-life decisions for 615 patients (83%) and spouses participated in decisions for 258 patients (35%), with both children and spouses participating for 131 patients (18%). When controlling for demographic characteristics, decedents with only a spouse decision-maker were less likely to undergo a life-sustaining treatment than decedents with only children decision-makers (P < 0.05). There was no difference in the probability of in-hospital death or burdensome transfers across facilities across decedent-decision-maker relationships. Differences in rates of life-sustaining treatment were greater when we restricted to decedents with dementia. Conclusion: Decedents with cognitive impairment or dementia were less likely to receive life-sustaining treatments when spouses versus children were involved with end-of-life treatment decisions but were no less likely to experience other measures of potentially burdensome end-of-life care.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1126-1134 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Pain and Symptom Management |
Volume | 62 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2021 |
Keywords
- Surrogate decision-making
- end-of-life decisions
- family
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Nursing
- Clinical Neurology
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine