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ABSTRACT

There is 'no one size fits all' solution to giving control to older people at the end of life. We need to move away from traditional homogenous and paternalistic approaches that see death as an event rather than part of the ageing process towards ensuring that individual wishes are foremost in CPR /DNR discussions. To achieve this, training and peer support is required as many staff, particularly those just entering a profession, feel unprepared to deal with issues around death and dying. Only when we have staff confident and competent to openly discuss and answer questions around CPR /DNR decisions will we truly be able to offer older people the opportunity to articulate and retain control over decisions at the end of their lives.