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Over the Back Fence By HANK HENRY Age affects our views of death What do people think about death and dying? The answers might surprise you. Over the years, I have collected news stories about people's attitudes on death and dying. Some people's opinions may have changed, but those surveys are probably still a good reflection of what most people think. A couple of years ago, the Washington Post polled people over 65 to determine whether the reality of old age matched their anticipation. The survey revealed significant differences between what people think retirement will be like and what they actually encounter. An earlier survey of people under age 65 revealed that more than 50 percent of them expected their financial situation would improve in retirement, along with their overall enjoyment of life. In no area of life did a majority of respondents say they expected things to get worse. But a survey of people over 65 produced different answers. Sixty-three percent of the respondents said their financial situation was unchanged, and 17 percent reported they were worse off financially in retirement. Most of those surveyed reported no change in their enjoyment of life from their pre-retirement years. A 1992 survey for the Alliance for Aging Research found that younger people have higher expectations for retirement than older people. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of people age 30 to 39 expect to enjoy life more when they retire. Just 50 percent of men and women age 50 to 64 expect to enjoy life more after age 65. And fewer than one-third (30 percent) of people age 65 and older said they were actually enjoying life more. Do people worry about dying? Less than a third of respondents in several national polls for the Alliance for Aging Research said they were concerned about death. But 64 percent in one poll worried about spending their last years in a nursing home, and 56 percent feared they would develop Alzheimer's disease and drain their family's finances. About a third of those polled worried about other age-related problems, such as loneliness, personal appearance or boredom. Another national survey by a Georgetown University professor showed that few older Americans escape the effects of aging. Eight out of ten of those 70 or older suffer from at least one major chronic disease. More than a third are frail and an equal number have memory problems. Only about one in six reported that they were in excellent physical, emotional and cognitive health. Despite the problems associated with old age, half of those questioned said they expected to live to be 80 years old, and one in seven expected to be at least 90 years old. Younger adults were more likely to say they would like to live to be 100, if they could. A couple of years ago, the Gallup Organization asked people how they wanted to die. They told the pollsters they wanted to die at home, not in a hospital. They wanted the doctor who attends their final hours to be a friend, and not just a professional. They wanted to pray before they die or have people praying for them. And they wanted less technology and more family and friends at their bedsides. "People want to reclaim and reassert the spiritual dimension of dying," wrote George H. Gallup Jr., president of the famous polling organization, in the preface of the 1997 report. The poll's findings, Gallup wrote, should serve as a "wake-up call for the clergy." Only about one-third of the respondents expected that a member of the clergy would offer real comfort to them in their dying days. Large majorities expected to receive that kind of support from family members and friends. Gallup continued in his preface, "Not many see the clergy providing broad spiritual support. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the faith community need to address more effectively the concerns that people have about what happens after death, matters such as guilt and forgiveness." About three-fourths of the respondents said they were less worried about how they would die than how they would spend their final months or years. Many feared degenerating into a vegetable-like state for a long time or worried that they would die suddenly and lose a chance to say goodbye to someone. About seven in 10 questioned in several polls said they believed in heaven and most said their chances of going there were good to excellent. More than half said they believe in hell, but less than five percent said their chances of going there are good. Researchers had hypothesized that the stronger a person's religious belief, the more willing he or she would be to let go of life. But much to their surprise, they found that those with less interest in spiritual matters chose to relieve pain at the cost of shortening life. Those with stronger spiritual beliefs chose to prolong their lives, even if that meant living in pain. (Hank Henry is a retired Jackson County commissioner and a former radio and television announcer. Call him at 772-9055.) Prime Times front page Mail Tribune front page Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA