How Many of You Expect to Die?

This article addressing how we approach end-of-life care appeared last year in the New York Times.

It’s one of those makes-you-think articles, and it includes some nifty graphs. Here’s how it begins:

Not long ago Dr. Joanne Lynn, a geriatrician who pulls no punches in her frequent critiques of America’s sorry system of end-of-life care, looked out from the dais of a Washington, D.C., ballroom at a sea of middle-aged faces: health policymakers, legislative staff, advocates for the aged and for family caregivers — an audience of experts.

“How many of you expect to die?” she asked.

The audience fell silent, laughed nervously and only then, looking one to the other, slowly raised their hands.

You can find the article here.