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Published on: September 30, 2020
Religion and Spirituality in Surrogate Decision Making for Hospitalized Older Adults
Kristin N Geros-Willfond1, Steven S Ivy2,3, Kianna Montz4
1Franciscan St. Francis Health, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Abstract:
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 46 surrogate decision makers for hospitalized older adults to characterize the role of spirituality and religion in decision making. Three themes emerged: (1) religion as a guide to decision making, (2) control, and (3) faith, death and dying. For religious surrogates, religion played a central role in end of life decisions. There was variability regarding whether God or humans were perceived to be in control; however, beliefs about control led to varying perspectives on acceptance of comfort-focused treatment. We conclude that clinicians should attend to religious considerations due to their impact on decision making.
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