Utah Health Group Pushes to Improve End of Life Care for Seniors

September 21, 2026 - 04:07

The One Utah Health Collaborative is working to change how medical providers handle the final stages of life for elderly residents across the state. Through a specific program focused on dignity in dying, the organization aims to tackle two major issues at once: the rising costs of end of life medical treatment and the quality of care that patients receive during their final days.

A central part of this effort involves helping older adults document their health care wishes in a clear and legally sound way. Many seniors have strong opinions about the treatments they do or do not want to receive, but those preferences often go unrecorded. When this happens, families and doctors are left to guess, which can lead to unwanted procedures, unnecessary hospital stays, and emotional strain on loved ones.

By encouraging proper advance care planning, the collaborative hopes to ensure that patient choices are respected. This approach can also reduce spending on aggressive treatments that patients never wanted in the first place. Supporters say the program puts control back in the hands of seniors and their families, making a difficult time more manageable and more humane.