Patients’ final wishes often not followed, finds report

TERMINALLY ill patients often have their final wishes overruled because of confusion over the scope and validity of “do not resuscitate” orders and advance care directives or living wills.

Those facing imminent death are also often left without a choice of place to die because of the lack of publicly funded care services to enable them opt to spend their final days at home, a hospice or a hospital with specialist palliative care.

These are just some of the findings from an extensive consultation process undertaken by the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) involving a year-long series of workshops and meetings with health professionals, legal experts, care services and members of the public.