>>That's why it's usually a good idea for the family to make that difficult decision.

Often one of the kids finds the concept of pulling mom's plug close to impossible and people who are to inherit the estate can go the opposite direction to show they're caring for mom not trying to get their mitts on her money.

A smart move is to make intentions known while you're compos mentis and then set clear power of attorney so lawyers can't hoover up the estate.

FWIW, in the bad old days doctors had to do a lot more counseling because real capabilities were far fewer and the machine that goes ping didn't ping very often. The trend has been to submerge physicians in the minutiae while other professions spring up to do the good stuff- which can work for simple scenarios but fails once the concepts and considerations become more difficult. That's where a few grey hairs on the head do matter, because a wise old doctor learns a thing or two over the years and empathizes far better than a brash youngster who is still immortal. In any case it will be good to see physicians focused more on sharing, discussing and laying on of hands rather than filling in Medicare forms.