advance directive

First-aider practising chest compressions on a CPR training dummy.

Health & Safety

A 'natural death' may be preferable for many than enduring CPR

12:20pm May 29, 2023

by Clay Dalton

Despite its reputation as a lifesaver, for the elderly and medically frail, CPR may cause more harm than good. It's why many doctors opt not to receive it themselves.

With many Americans dying of COVID-19, it's more important than ever to have advance directives – and conversations about your wishes for intensive and end-of-life care.

Health & Safety

Planning For End-Of-Life Care Is More Crucial Than Ever. Here's How

1:29pm July 09, 2020

by Katherine Harmon Courage

With many Americans dying of COVID-19, it's important to document your wishes for your care should you get seriously ill. Doing so can ease the way for family in difficult moments.

A document developed by a New York end-of-life agency permits people who want to avoid the ravages of advanced dementia to make their final wishes known — while they still have the ability to do so. One version requests that all food and fluids be withh

'Aggressive' Advance Directive Permits Halting Food And Water In Severe Dementia

1:19pm March 29, 2018

by JoNel Aleccia

Supporters call this right-to-die proposal the strongest move yet to document a person's advance wishes in cases of severe dementia. Critics say it would deny basic care to society's most vulnerable.

People with chronic illnesses were only slightly more likely than healthy individuals to put their wishes down on paper in a living will.

Many Avoid End-Of-Life Care Planning, Study Finds

9:00am August 02, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

Only about a third of U.S. adults have advance directives in place to guide the care they receive if they become too ill to make their own medical decisions.

While medical advances have allowed us to live longer, it's important to think about what you want before a health crisis hits.

Health & Safety

Why Immortality Is Overrated

5:54am February 04, 2017

by John Henning Schumann

Before a health crisis hits, think deeply about the care you want and what you'd like to avoid. Make sure your family and your doctor understand your wishes, says John Henning Schumann.

A chalkboard "bucket list" stirred imaginations and got people talking at an Indianapolis festival designed to help make conversations about death easier.

Death Talk Is Cool At This Festival

9:54am May 29, 2016

by Jake Harper

How to make thinking about death less somber? Hold a festival! Indianapolis did. Through art, film and book talks, residents explored everything from bucket lists to advance directives and cremation.

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