Interactive Tools Predict When You Will Die
Plugging individual variables — age, health conditions, cognitive status, functional ability — into one of the new online tools produces a percentage indicating the likelihood of death within a particular time frame. Some assessments are used for hospital patients or nursing home residents, others for elderly people still living at home.
Full article on the 16 assessment scales that “predict” when you will die.
If you drive the interstate and construction zones that I do each day for nearly two hours, these logevity predictors simply become a mute point!
Although it isn’t a joyful topic, I agree with the article that it’s time to engage in a frank discussion of the prognosis of ill seniors. Sugar-coating the issue soothes hearts while destroying bodies.
I took the test and it said I was already dead! It appears I owe the Grim Reaper about four years (plus interest).
good article. Interesting test, though there are probably countless variables that could be included.
Only cynics would consider the possibility that these calculators will be used to help the so-called “death panels” make the case for not treating elderly people.
In one of the prognostic studies cited for 4 year outcomes (Lee), the highest number of points predicted a 64% risk of death. That’s somewhat better than a coin flip. Cstatistic was .82. A .5 means the model contains no information. A 1.0 means the model is a perfect predictor.
Gattaca anyone?