Official websites use .gov
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
Help wanted: Californians' views and experiences of serious illness and end-of-life care
Help wanted: Californians' views and experiences of serious illness and end-of-life care
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Author(s):
- Joynt, Jen, author
- Contributor(s):
- California HealthCare Foundation, issuing body.
PerryUndem Research & Communication, issuing body. - Publication:
- [Oakland, California] : California Health Care Foundation, October 2019
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Critical Illness -- therapy
Patient Preference
Palliative Care
Terminal Care
Racial Groups
Ethnicity
Income
United States - Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Most people will experience serious illness at some point in their lives--as a patient, a caregiver, a family member, or a friend. In 2019, the California Health Care Foundation commissioned a statewide survey to better understand the type of medical care and services Californians would prefer to receive if they had a serious illness or if they were approaching the end of life, and to explore the experiences of those actually dealing with these issues themselves or with loved ones. Help Wanted: Californians' Views and Experiences of Serious Illness and End-of-Life Care reports selected findings from this survey and highlights key differences by race/ethnicity and income level. KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE: (1) When palliative care was described to them, 9 in 10 Californians without a serious illness said they would want this type of care if they had a serious illness. Four in 10 of those with a serious illness said they receive this type of help. (2) Among respondents with a serious illness, Californians with low incomes reported the highest level of interest in getting supports beyond disease treatment, compared to those with higher incomes. (3) Over 9 in 10 respondents of all races/ethnicities and income levels said they would want "as much information as possible" if faced with a serious illness. (4) Only 7% of Californians with low incomes who also have a serious illness said they were "very prepared" to deal with their illness if it got worse. (5) Survey respondents reported that at the end of life, it would be extremely important to them that their families are not burdened--by treatment costs (70%), by making tough decisions about their care (60%), or by needing to take care of them (59%). (6) A majority of respondents said they would prefer to die a natural death (63%) rather than have doctors attempt everything to prolong life (9%). More than 1 in 4 (28%) were not sure. (7) More than two-thirds (71%) of respondents said they would want to die at home. However, just over a third of Californians who died in 2017 died at home (36%).
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-ND license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (38 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101767936 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101767936