Table 2.
Health Care Values Survey, Forced-Choice Items: Frequency Distributions (N = 165)
| Item Theme | Choice 1 (%) | Choice 2 (%) | Some of Both (%) |
I Don’t Know (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Enjoying simple pleasures (e.g., music, TV, even if sick) |
Want to live no matter what |
Would prefer not to live if could no longer enjoy simple pleasures |
||
| 38.8 | 42.4 | 12.7 | 6.1 | |
| 2. Ability to think clearly (If I can no longer think clearly …) |
Do not want intensive medical treatments used to keep me alive |
Do want intensive medical treatments to keep me alive |
||
| 61.2 | 27.9 | 3.0 | 7.9 | |
| 3. Quality versus length of life |
Believe living as long as possible is more important |
Believe quality of life is more important |
||
| 6.7 | 84.8 | 3.6 | 4.8 | |
| 4. Pain medicine | Prefer medicine, even if sleepy or confused |
Prefer pain than medicine that makes me sleepy or confused |
||
| 60.6 | 16.4 | 17.0 | 6.1 | |
| 5. Accepting help (for personal needs) |
Do not want to accept help |
Can accept help | ||
| 12.7 | 77.0 | 7.9 | 2.4 | |
| 6. Religious beliefs (when making medical decisions) |
Will follow my religious beliefs |
Will not be influenced by religious beliefs |
||
| 25.5 | 67.9 | 4.8 | 1.8 | |
| 7. Where to receive care (when very sick or dying) |
Prefer hospital or nursing home |
Prefer to be at home | ||
| 40.6 | 42.4 | 7.9 | 9.1 | |
| 8. Feelings about dying | Am afraid to die | Am not afraid to die | ||
| 12.7 | 74.5 | 9.1 | 3.6 | |
| 9. Receiving personal care (such as bathing) |
Prefer family members | Prefer professionals, such as nurses |
||
| 18.2 | 61.8 | 17.6 | 2.4 | |
| 10. Who makes medical decisions |
OK with family or doctor making decisions for me |
Want to make decisions for myself if able |
||
| 12.7 | 83.0 | 4.2 | 0.0 | |
| 11. Being a burden | Am not concerned | Am concerned | ||
| 7.3 | 86.1 | 6.1 | 0.6 | |
| 12. Who medical decisions are for |
Make decisions based on what is best for me |
Make decisions based on what is best for family or friends |
||
| 62.4 | 21.8 | 14.5 | 1.2 | |
| 13a. Ability to eat food if aware, not terminally ill (n = 115) |
Feed through tube in stomach if can no longer swallow |
Would prefer to die if could no longer swallow |
||
| 49.6 | 29.6 | 5.2 | 15.7 | |
| 13b. Ability to eat food if very impaired, terminally ill (n = 115) |
Feed through tube | Prefer to die | ||
| 17.4 | 75.7 | 0.9 | 6.1 |
Note: Complete item wording is not provided in this table. The table combines results for dementia versus control groups because no group differences were detected in item frequency distributions.