After a hip fracture the anesthetist told my mother she was likely to die on the operating table due to her heart valve replacement and use of oxygen (she didn't really need the oxygen I can tell you she would leave it off for hours and was fine).  She was (and still is as I am writing this whilst she is dying) a strong woman.  SO, the alternative they gave her was go home and die in bed surrounded by family over the next few weeks.   Big mistake!  What they mean is... go home and die of dehydration and starvation whilst your loved ones sit around watching you wither away and die because you are on oxycodone and midazolam to cope with being respositioned in bed every 6 hours.  I am watching a strong woman being slowly put to death in front of my eyes because the nursing home will not apply and IV drip or anesthetic leg block because they say it needs a sterile environment.  This is all BS of course since you can easily obtain these on prescription in your own home.  So given the mortality rates for those having the operation as stated in the article, emphatically I say to you insist on them having the operation.