at the gunderson lutheran medical center in wisconsin, elderly patients are encouraged to make choices about their future care and sign advanced directives so everyone knows their wishes. lucky severson reports. >> what helps you when you face serious challenges in your life? >> well, i always get comfort from audrey, my wife. >> 61 years? >> of 61 years, yes. as of last friday. >> that's great. >> then our pastors. >> so your faith? >> yes. very important. >> conversations like this at gunderson lutheran hospital in wisconsin are what set off the nationwide outcry over the so-called death panels. this is curtis nelson connected to a dialysis machine with his wife audrey and his son, dennis. y is reecea is a nurse and guiding the discussion. >> with your particular illnesses and you have the multiple miloma and the heart failure and kidney disease, it's difficult to predict when a complication could occur. it could happen suddenly and you might be unaware to make the decisions. >> the end of life conversations began in the 1980s at the urging of the medical ef sis. he had grown alarmed