ACTIVISTS AND DELEGATORS - ELDERLY PATIENTS PREFERENCES ABOUT CONTROLAT THE END OF LIFE

The views of elderly patients concerning control over the dying proces s are explored in this paper. Thirty-eight hospitalized elderly patien ts were interviewed about their attitudes, both general and personal, toward exerting control over end-of-life decisions. A majority (27) of the participants could be categorized as 'activists', that is, they p referred to have a voice in decision-making at the end of life. There were also a number of 'delegators' (11) in the study. They preferred t o delegate the decision-making to their physicians, to God, or to fate . Activists were better educated, had held more professional and manag erial jobs and tended more often to be middle class rather than lower class. Their advanced sophistication about consumer rights and their g eneral knowledge of health issues is reflected in their greater intere st in patient control over dying. Most activists rejected the idea of euthanasia or assisted suicide for themselves, but favoured the withho lding and withdrawing of treatment. It is possible that these ideal ty pes of 'activists' and 'delegators' could anchor a continuum that is m easurable. Such a scale could facilitate the differentiation of the el derly on this issue and thereby prove useful in the development of app ropriate policy.