Talking with family helps older adults plan their future care

This trial is testing a conversation-based approach called motivational interviewing to help older adults and their family members talk about and plan for future medical care. After an emergency room visit, some participants will have guided conversations with a trained counselor, while others will receive educational materials to read on their own. The study wants to see which approach works better at helping people complete advance directives—legal documents that explain what kind of medical care you want if you can't speak for yourself.

Many older adults don't have advance directives in place, even though emergency room visits are often a wake-up call that makes people think about their future. Right now, there's no proven way to help older adults in Hong Kong take this important step, so this trial is testing whether having a structured conversation with family members right after an ER visit can motivate people to plan ahead.