Laura Breslin1, Eimear Connolly1, Roisin Purcell1,2, Amanda Lavan1,3,2, Rose Anne Kenny1,3,2, Robert Briggs4,5,6. 1. Mercer's Institute for Successful Ageing, St James's Hospital, James's St, Dublin 8, Ireland. 2. Discipline of Medical Gerontology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 1, Ireland. 3. The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 1, Ireland. 4. Mercer's Institute for Successful Ageing, St James's Hospital, James's St, Dublin 8, Ireland. briggsr@tcd.ie. 5. The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 1, Ireland. briggsr@tcd.ie. 6. Discipline of Medical Gerontology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 1, Ireland. briggsr@tcd.ie.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To assess advance care planning (ACP) in a large population-representative sample of older people. METHODS: At Wave 4 of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, participants were asked: Have you made your wishes/preferences known about the kind of care that you would like to receive in the event of serious illness? RESULTS: One quarter (1153/4831) had discussed ACP. Of those, 90% had discussed with family/friends, 10% documented ACP in writing, while 2% had discussed with a healthcare professional. Age ≥ 80 years [OR 1.63 (1.31-2.02)], female sex [OR 1.58 (1.37-1.83)], higher educational attainment [OR 1.42 (1.18-1.71)], poorer self-rated health [OR 1.67 (1.06-2.62)] and lower levels of religiosity [OR 1.50 (1.02-2.19)] were independently associated with ACP. CONCLUSION: Only one in four older people had discussed ACP informally, while less than 3% have ACP documented in writing. Further work is required to educate the public and healthcare professionals regarding treatment choices at end-of-life.
PURPOSE: To assess advance care planning (ACP) in a large population-representative sample of older people. METHODS: At Wave 4 of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, participants were asked: Have you made your wishes/preferences known about the kind of care that you would like to receive in the event of serious illness? RESULTS: One quarter (1153/4831) had discussed ACP. Of those, 90% had discussed with family/friends, 10% documented ACP in writing, while 2% had discussed with a healthcare professional. Age ≥ 80 years [OR 1.63 (1.31-2.02)], female sex [OR 1.58 (1.37-1.83)], higher educational attainment [OR 1.42 (1.18-1.71)], poorer self-rated health [OR 1.67 (1.06-2.62)] and lower levels of religiosity [OR 1.50 (1.02-2.19)] were independently associated with ACP. CONCLUSION: Only one in four older people had discussed ACP informally, while less than 3% have ACP documented in writing. Further work is required to educate the public and healthcare professionals regarding treatment choices at end-of-life.