Spending. Us Americans like to die slowly and extend the inevitable. Obviously not every situation is the same. If your young and dying of cancer of course it makes sense to fight to the end. If your old not so much.

Generally some patients should probable go on hospice at least a month before they actually do once it's clear their condition is terminal. Hospice does not have to be immediate death and either way is about keeping the patient as pain free as possible why they die naturally and not unnecessarily prolonging life, especially extensive icy settings. A lot of doctors do not have realistic conversations with their patients about prognostic and a lot of families won't pull the plug on dad. You'd be surprised how many time kids go against parents wishes to extend life. Get an written Advance directive.