Thank you.
There are bold attempts by physicians and nurses and others to ask that question if they have the opportunity, but it is by no means routine. Of course the concern is that elderly persons may get into hospital but be in a state in which they can't answer. They may or may not have a power of attorney, so health professionals are left in a situation in which they actually have to make the decision on the spot. We've been trained to try to save people, so what happens is often whatever the technology, whether it's putting in a pacemaker or resuscitating a person and trying to treat heart failure, it actually ends up prolonging life when that may not have been the patient's wish.