This workshop will look at the ethical issues and broader sociological factors that inform treatment decisions for the frail elderly, including our culture’s propensity to “overtreat” frail older persons toward the end of life, often with high-tech and aggressive and burdensome medical interventions that in some cases are more harmful than helpful. We will look at case studies taken from clinical practice and discuss how best to care for the patient and his or her family in the particular situation. Expert panelists will lead the workshop attendees on discussions of the cultural, legal, religious, clinical, and healthcare context informs treatment decisions. This will include both group discussion and role-playing. Finally, we will discuss the implications of how we treat the frail elderly, how including how overly medicalized burdensome treatment is one of the motivations behind requests for euthanasia in the Netherlands, and how we better care for frail older people.
