CPR? None for me, thanks
I use Google Chat to stay in touch with my kids, not too frequently, mostly about family logistics. Sometimes I'll forward a link I think they might like or get a laugh from. A couple of times per year I'll write something I'd like them to think about.
This morning I sent this:
This is why I wear a DNR bracelet and carry the notarized DNR document in my pocket: https://substack.com/home/post/p-204747300
That post is a long and detailed description of what happens during CPR, pretty gruesome. But the tl;dr is this:
"In a Swedish registry study of 36,605 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, 30-day survival was 4.4% in patients aged 80 to 89. A Japanese study of 85,588 witnessed elderly arrests found overall survival of 9.8% for 65 to 74, dropping to 6.9% for ages 75 to 84 and 4.6% at 85 and up. A scoping review put out-of-hospital survival to discharge between 0 and 11.1%, declining with age. Best-case scenario, witnessed arrest with a shockable rhythm, survival for 80-somethings was still only 15%."
A one in ten chance (at best!) of going on to live in a severely damaged body? No thanks!
They've already heard this from me several times over the years. And I only sent this one to the two oldest, brother and sister, who are the most likely to deal with the fallout when I keel over.
But an occasional reminder of my thinking won't hurt. Because this is a very unusual attitude, I want them to be as comfortable as possible not taking action that the watching world expects. There will be a lot of social pressure in the moment to do the conventional thing, and I want them to be confident they aren't doing something wrong by respecting my wishes.