Aging Committee to Spotlight Living Wills, End-of-Life Care

WASHINGTON, DC - By whom and how would you want to be cared for in the case of a life-threatening condition that left you unable to communicate? 

Only 29 percent of Americans have a living will that states their wishes on end-of life medical care, according to one recent survey.  

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging will begin examining the federal government's role in encouraging individuals to talk about end-of-life preferences with their families and health professionals.   

The panel will hear from representatives from the medical, legal and religious communities on obstacles facing end-of-life care and ways to better educate the public about their options.  The hearing begins at 2:00 p.m. hearing in room 124 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

               
SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING
HEARING: Renewing the Conversation:  Respecting Patients' Wishes and Advance Care Planning
2:00 p.m., EDT, Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 124
WITNESSES:
James Towey, Founder, Aging with Dignity and President, Ave Maria University
Harriet Warshaw, Executive Director, The Conversation Project
Gloria Ramsey, RN, Associate Professor, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Amy Vandenbroucke, Executive Director, National Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment Paradigm Task Force