Decision making at the end of life in Mexican American Aged: Preliminary findings

Very little is known about the views of Mexican American elders regarding the options for “life support” including physician assisted suicide. Given the changing demographics of the population in general, it is important for health practitioners to have a reasonable idea about those views for successful and effective practice. This study examines the feasibility of an inquiry designed to explore and compare the views and decision making of Mexican American and non-Hispanic elders related to end of life issues including physician assisted suicide. Additionally, the study will examine the influence of SES, level of acculturation, depression, religiosity and mental functioning on this decision making. Data will be collected from 300 elders (150/ethnicity) ranging in age from 65-105 with a Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination score of 18 or over in various health settings (e.g. doctor's office, clinic, etc.). All measures have been translated into Spanish (with a two-way translation protocol) for use with subjects with a preference for Spanish. Descriptive, correlational and categorical analyses will be conducted as appropriate. Preliminary findings should be informative about both the potential of the inquiry as well as provide a view of attitudes and perspectives toward end of life matters in a population not well considered before.