When you ask people where they would like to pass away, when that day finally comes, the vast majority of them simply pick their homes. They would like to be at home, likely surrounded by their loved ones. That’s what about 80 percent of people choose when asked, and you probably fall into that number as well.
However, per the Stanford School of Medicine, most of them do not get their wish. A mere 20 percent of people in the United States actually die at home. Another 20 percent pass away in assisted living centers and nursing homes.
The majority, though, pass away in acute care hospitals. For about 60 percent of Americans, that’s where they are when the end comes.
Some people do still get to stay home, and some — “a minority,” per the Stanford report — use hospice care. But most of them do not get their wish and end up simply spending the end of their life in a hospital. It can be a clinical and uncomfortable setting. It is not the peaceful end that they wished for.
With the majority of people going through this, it also raises questions about medical malpractice. What type of care did your loved one get before they passed away? What type of care did they deserve? Should they have died in the hospital at all, or did doctors make mistakes that led to that end result?
If you do think mistakes and negligence were involved and lead to a loved one’s wrongful death, you need to understand all of the legal options your family may have to seek compensation.