As a person who was "almost dead" and was considered in a state of "walking death" by my Internist of over 20 years (the quotes are what he said to my wife), I am wary of people's simplistic view of whether all people who are 87 should be left to die when they need CPR. I had terminal, end stage kidney failure and was fast approaching heart failure and had congestive heart failure. I felt absolutely horrible and felt like I was being poisoned. BTW, I know what it feels like to have Arsenic poisoning so I am not just making that up. I would not have wanted to be denied CPR just because I was a basket case. I very much wanted to live. I was pretty much cured of the kidney failure and heart failure and congestive heart failure overnight. I got a kidney and pancreas transplant in April, 1996. It literally saved my life. Before the transplant my BP was 250/125 and a day after it was almost back to normal. When the organs became available, I was second on the list but got the organs because the person who was first had the flu. The sickest person gets moved up the list the fastest. I was really, really sick. I was only on the list for four months. The usual wait is 4 years.
I am still pretty much a basket case of problems but I am not terminally ill anymore. If I get really sick because I am old and have no hope of getting better then I will get a DNR.
Deciding whether a person should have a DNR by default is crazy. Ignoring an old person having a CPR moment on the sidewalk because they are old is foolish. Resuscitate them and let them get a DNR for next time. If you let them die and they wanted to live then you've made an irreversible mistake.
Mike D.