Elder Abuse: Late-in-Life Surgery Excessive?

11-11-11
Surgery is ridiculousy common in older people during the last year, month and even week of life, researchers reported Wednesday. Are these types of surgery just another form of Elder Abuse?
The most comprehensive examination of operations performed on Medicare recipients in the final year of life found that nationally in 2008, nearly one recipient in three had surgery in the last year of life. Nearly one in five had surgery in the last month of life. Nearly one in 10 had surgery in the last week of life!
Do doctors too often operate on an elder who is a dying patient? And if so what pain and anguish does surgery entail? Who profits? The health care industry? At whose expense? The frail elderly patient who is dying? What dignity is lost by end of life unnecessary surgery? Will the the surgery improve or destroy the quality of their life at the end?
Lancet Report Cites Rate of Late-in-Life Surgery - NYTimes.com