Final Choices: To Live or to Die in an Age of Medical Technology

Although more than 80% of Americans will die in hospitals or other institutions, modern health care technology does not answer the needs of the dying person, according to Burnell, chief of psychiatry at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Honolulu. His clear and compassionate source book examines the medical, legal and ethical issues surrounding the choice between dying and undertaking extraordinary life-sustaining measures. He provides useful information on a thoughtful range of topics, including various philosophies of living and dying, the relationship between hope and healing, and explanations of medical technology. He dispenses advice on asking doctors about their own attitudes toward prolonging life; on talking to family and friends about death; on euthanasia, hospice care and planning organ donations. Examples of living wills, medical proxy forms and a directory of organizations concerned with the rights of the dying are included. (Apr.)