Most California nursing home residents had completed physician orders for life-sustaining treatment, or POLST, within six years after POLST reporting was mandated in the Minimum Data Set, according to ...

All adults should have an advance directive, and experts say that the elderly or seriously ill should also fill out a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment form. These two forms specify your ...

Mary De Freze, who has heart problems, chronic lung disease and a history of falling, knows she may not have too many years left. And she’s clear about what she wants — and doesn’t want — at the end ...

Mary De Freze, 81, has heart problems, chronic lung disease and a history of falling. At the end of her life, De Freze said, she doesn't want to be in a lot of pain and doesn't want to be kept alive ...

When Bernice Blickle’s husband collapsed on the floor six years ago, paramedics rushed to the couple’s Woodland home, ready to administer CPR and bring him back to life. That’s when Blickle handed ...

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- A new study has found that nursing home patients participating in a program enabling them to record their wishes for end-of-life treatment are far less likely to ...

UCLA-led research finds broad acceptance of written end-of-life care orders among California nursing home residents, with nearly half completing a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, or ...

At first glance, a POLST is just a bright pink form — but it is soon discovered to be a lifeline for patients and their families. A physician orders for life sustaining treatment — or POLST — form ...

On the heels of my colleague James M. Berklan’s discussion about how little we know about our loved ones’ preferences for end-of-life care, there’s a sign of progress in Oregon. It comes down to a ...

With the growing technocracy in medicine, it becomes increasingly difficult for patients to have actual control over their own care. Everything has become so (expletive deleted) arcane! Mind numbing, ...

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today. Eighty-one-year-old Mary De Freze has ...