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Seniors Opt for Comfort Over ICU in Final Days
25 Feb
Summary
- More seniors are choosing hospice over ICU care near end of life.
- Palliative care use nearly doubled among Medicare beneficiaries.
- DNR orders also more than doubled, indicating open end-of-life talks.
More seniors are electing to transition from intensive care units (ICUs) to hospice care, signaling a significant shift in end-of-life preferences for older Americans. This trend, observed between 2011 and 2023, indicates a national move towards prioritizing comfort over aggressive medical interventions in a patient's final days.
During this period, the number of Medicare beneficiaries discharged to hospice after an ICU stay increased from about 6% to 7%. Concurrently, the use of palliative care, which offers symptom relief at any illness stage, nearly doubled, rising from just under 7% to 15%.
This evolving approach to care is also reflected in the increasing prevalence of Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) orders, which more than doubled from 11% to 25% over the study's 12-year span. Researchers suggest these figures point to more frequent and candid discussions between families and healthcare providers regarding the limitations of critical care.
While the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily disrupted these trends, data from 2023 shows a return to the original trajectories. The findings underscore a fundamental change in how end-of-life care is being approached in American medicine, emphasizing patient values and needs.
