THE STABILITY OF OLDER ADULTS' JUDGMENTS OF FATES BETTER AND WORSE THAN DEATH

Authors :: LOCKHART, LISA K.
DITTO, PETER H.
DANKS, JOSEPH H.
COPPOLA, KRISTEN M.
SMUCKER, WILLIAM D.
Source :: Death Studies. June, 2001, Vol. 25 Issue 4, 299
Publication Year :: 2001
Abstract: Decisions about specific life-sustaining medical treatments have been found to be only moderately stable over time. This study examined whether more general judgments, such as whether a particular health condition is better or worse than death, would exhibit greater stability. Fifty adults (aged 65 yrs and older) made judgments about the perceived quality of life (QOL) possible in a number of hypothetical states of impaired health and their desire to live or die (LOD) in each state. Judgments were made twice from 5 to 16