Planning for Serious Illness amongst Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Author

Goodridge, Donna

Source

Nursing Research and Practice

Issue

Vol. 2013, Issue 2013 (31 Dec. 2013), pp.1-7, 7 p.

Publisher

Hindawi Publishing Corporation

Publication Date

2013-04-04

Country of Publication

Egypt

No. of Pages

7

Main Subjects

Nursing

Abstract EN

Older adults have long been encouraged to maintain their autonomy by expressing their wishes for health care before they become too ill to meaningfully participate in decision making.

This study explored the manner in which community-dwelling adults aged 55 and older plan for serious illness.

An online survey was conducted within the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, with 283 adults ranging in age from 55 to 88 years.

Planning for future medical care was important for the majority (78.4%) of respondents, although only 25.4% possessed a written advance care plan and 41.5% had designated a substitute decision maker.

Sixty percent of respondents reported conversations about their treatment wishes; nearly half had discussed unacceptable states of health.

Associations between key predictor variables and planning behaviors (discussions about treatment wishes or unacceptable states of health; designation of a substitute decision maker; preparation of a written advance care plan) were assessed using binary logistic regression.

After controlling for all predictor variables, self-reported knowledge about advance care planning was the key variable significantly associated with all four planning behaviors.

The efforts of nurses to educate older adults regarding the process of advance care planning can play an important role in enhancing autonomy.

American Psychological Association (APA)

Goodridge, Donna. 2013. Planning for Serious Illness amongst Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Nursing Research and Practice،Vol. 2013, no. 2013, pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-471418

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Goodridge, Donna. Planning for Serious Illness amongst Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Nursing Research and Practice No. 2013 (2013), pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-471418

American Medical Association (AMA)

Goodridge, Donna. Planning for Serious Illness amongst Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Nursing Research and Practice. 2013. Vol. 2013, no. 2013, pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-471418

Data Type

Journal Articles

Language

English

Notes

Includes bibliographical references

Record ID

BIM-471418