Advance Care Planning and the Military Experience: From Active Duty to Veteran
2024

Advance Care Planning and the Military Experience

publication

Author Information

Author(s): Berry-Stoelzle Maresi

Primary Institution: Iowa City VA Medical Center

Hypothesis

How do military service and deployment history affect Veterans' views on advance care planning?

Conclusion

Veterans' rates of advance directive completion and serious illness conversations are similar to those of the civilian population, despite their unique experiences.

Supporting Evidence

  • 18% of Veterans admitted inpatient died within a year after hospitalization.
  • Rates of advance directive completion in VA served Veterans are comparable to the civilian population.

Takeaway

Veterans often don't talk about their future healthcare needs, even though they face serious health risks. We want to help them have these important conversations.

Methodology

We coordinated with local experts and collected suggestions from Veteran stakeholders to explore their views on advance care planning.

Participant Demographics

Veterans with inpatient admissions.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geroni/igae098.0944

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