Decision-Making Articles & Resources

Articles

New 2022 VT DNR/COLST Form: New Form for Clinician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment

On June 1, 2022, the new VT DNR/COLST form takes effect. All new orders should be completed on this form if possible, although orders on previously approved VT DNR/COLST forms remain legal and valid. Learn more about the updated form and best practices for clinicians completing these orders by watching our Information Session video and reviewing the accompanying slide deck. The form is available for download here, and on our Forms page.

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Would I Give Aducanumab to My Mother? (The Hastings Center)

June 14, 2021: Aducanumab has just been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease. It is likely that many people who are candidates for the drug will no longer be competent to make their own health care decisions, and will be relying heavily on others to make the decision with them or for them.

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Sizing Up the Decisions of Older Adults

May 19, 2022: (New York Times, 2022) A new training tool helps to assess whether some seniors can make informed choices about their own care and well-being. Adult Protective Services agencies in every state receive reports of possible neglect, self-neglect, abuse or exploitation of older people and other vulnerable adults. But agency workers consistently face a bedeviling question: Does the adult in question have the capacity to make a decision about their medical care, living conditions or finances — even if it’s not the decision that the family, doctor or financial adviser thinks should be made?

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'I Need to Know I Tried'

May 10, 2021: The New York Times

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National Healthcare Decision Day - Why me?

April 14, 2021: Brattleboro Reformer (Op-Ed)

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Advance Care Planning: What Happens If You Can’t Speak for Yourself?

April 14, 2017: University of Vermont Medical Center Blog

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Zen and the Art of Dying Well

August 14, 2015: The New York Times

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Teenagers Face Early Death, on Their Terms

March 28, 2015: The New York Times

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Learning to Say No to Dialysis

March 27, 2015: The New York Times

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Hoping for a Good Death

December 1, 2014: The New York Times

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Encouraging End-of-Life Talks

September 4, 2014: The New York Times

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The Town Where Everyone Talks About Death

March 5, 2014: National Public Radio

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The Ultimate End-of-Life Plan

September 6, 2013: The Wall Street Journal

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A Life-or-Death Situation

July 17, 2013: The New York Times

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How Not to Die

April 24, 2013: The Atlantic

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Afraid to Speak Up to Medical Power

February 14, 2013: The New York Times

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The facts on end-of-life care programs

October 23, 2012: The Journal Sentinel

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Mapping Your End-of-Life Choices

June 18, 2012: The New York Times

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Care by Consensus

March 21, 2012: NY Times

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Geriatric Doctor Doesn't Shy from Tough Talk

November 27, 2011: Los Angeles Times

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Can Cancer Ever Be Ignored?

October 5, 2011: NY Times

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