There are many articles asking about the justification for treatment that is of little or no value toward the end of someones life. This brings up the common image of the fight for life at all costs, topped by surgeries with the patient ultimately dying with tubes coming out of their body. While this image has been engrained in many of our heads from family members who have passed this way, apparently it is quite common and the Lancet medical journal reported that “The very oldest patients were less likely to have surgery. Those who were 65 had a 38.4 percent chance of having surgery in the last year of life. For 80-year-olds, the chance was 35.3 percent, but the rates fell off more sharply from there, declining by a third by age 90.” Is it unhealthy to believe that we all are here for a certain period of time and eventually, our body will not continue to sustain our existence? With that thought in mind, check out the article by the NY times and make your own decisions. Surgery is surprisingly common in older people during the last year, month and even week of life, researchers reported Wednesday, a finding that is likely to stoke, but not resolve, the debate over whether medical care is overused and needlessly driving up medical costs. Continue reading here