Can Millennials Talk About Death? Young Adults' Perceptions Of End-Of-Life Care

Does death confront the young as an incomprehensible force or can it be talked about? And what are the implications for health administration education? These questions serve as the impetus behind the present study, which is the first known attempt to document young adults' perceptions of end-of-life care. Descriptive data were gathered from 84 "millennials" (age 18-34), yielding important insights on this generation's willingness to have end-of-life care conversations, their trust in the U.S. healthcare system when it comes to end-of-life care, their religious and cultural influences informing their views of death and dying, and their own advance care planning wishes. Findings suggest that millennials are willing to discuss end-of-life care options, and death and dying more generally, challenging the stereotype of denial, avoidance, and self-centeredness that have perennially plagued the young. Implications for health administration education are discussed.