Janet Dwyer, 59, of New York, said her family was horrified by her father’s lingering death after a heart attack 4 years ago and mindful of a family history of dementia. When Dwyer learned there was a directive to address terminal illness and dementia, she signed it. So did her husband, John Harney, also 59.
“Judith informed me of the Option A or Option B scenarios,” said Dwyer, who opted for A. “I said, ‘Well, that is just perfect.”
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. KHN’s coverage of end-of-life and serious illness issues is supported in part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.