Actitudes y percepciones sobre los cuidados al final de la vida en adultos mayores

Résumé

In industrialized societies, medical technological advancement and population aging pose significant challenges in medical practice, especially in end-of-life care. Despite the paramount importance of patient autonomy in medical decisions, its applicability often becomes compromised in these contexts. This research's main objective is to assess the attitudes and perceptions of older adults towards decision-making about their end-of-life care and communicating these decisions with their family and primary care physician. An observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was conducted on individuals aged ≥ 65 years in a health center in the Region of Murcia and in a rural population of La Alpujarra (Granada). The sample consisted of 260 individuals (57.3% women and 42.7% men) with an average age of 76.19 years ± 0.48, with 40.0% coming from rural areas and 60.0% from urban areas. As main findings, we highlight that the majority of participants would like their preferences regarding end-of-life care and the handling of their body after death to be considered in the event of a terminal illness. Furthermore, 66.1% had reflected on these issues, and 51.5% had held conversations relating to these aspects, mainly with family members (47.4%). Although 75% would be willing to share these topics with their general practitioner deliberations with healthcare professionals had occurred in less than 1% of cases. A widespread lack of knowledge and rejection of Advance Directives were detected. In conclusion, the majority of elderly population express concerns about death and end-of-life care, and they wish to play an active role in decisions about their care. These findings underline the importance of fostering dialogue about death to optimize care in the final stages of life.