Older Adults’ Preferences Regarding Life Expectancy Discussions in Primary Care
| Preferred Timing to Discuss Life Expectancy | Example |
|---|---|
| Never | “I can’t see where [discussing life expectancy] is helpful … no one wants to know when it’s coming so the less they know about when it’s coming the better off I think they are.” |
| Only near end of life | “[Discussing life expectancy] is not necessary unless all signs are pointing to absolutely you are not going to live past 6 months.” |
| When life expectancy is longer than 1 year | |
| 2 to 3 years | “I would want to know within 2 years so that I could get things straightened out … but anything beyond that I would not want to know.” |
| 5 years | “I think 5 years would give me the time to do the things I may want to do if I have the ability to do them.” |
| As early as possible | “As far in advance as possible … [even 10 years].” |
| Preferred format of life expectancy information | |
| Qualitative description | “If you think … that I might not last another 5 years, just tell me that I’m not doing as well as you had hoped, but … hold off giving a certain number.” |
| Quantitative information | “I think the more quantification you can provide the better.” |