As Our Parents Age

Our Chance of Dying in Intensive Care – Peter Saul TED Talk

Australian intensive care physician, Peter Saul, recently presented a TED Talk about the increased chance of dying in intensive care in the 21st Century. He explains that one ten people will die in intensive care, but in the United States it is one in five and in Miami, three out of five.

People who are dying are often attached to intensive care machinery to prolong life, when there is no cure for their medical conditions. According to Dr. Saul, the stress level on the patient and on families when a person dies in intensive care is seven times greater than when a person dies just about anywhere else.

Best Quote: “Increasing longevity means more old age, not more youth.”

A quick, 10 second, way too loud advertisement begins the TED video.

March 26, 2012 - Posted by Marti Weston | aging parents, death, end of life, end of life decisions | aging, dying, end-of-life wishes, intensive care, Peter Saul