Sorry, no naked links please. A summary or snippet would be helpful.
OK. Done.Sorry, no naked links please. A summary or snippet would be helpful.
Thanks!OK. Done.
Before getting too enthusiastic about the helpfulness of euthanasia, look at what has happened in other countries, particularly Holland.
I entirely agree that people at the end of life are often mistreated, prolonging life to make money on tests or killing them to save money. Money being the motivating factor. So is getting rid of Grandma to get an inheritance. Death with dignity should mean dying with care and discretion. Giving someone pain relief even if it hastens death is one thing; deliberately killing them off is another. Be careful what you wish for.
I understand, but his great problem was fear, which can be allayed without killing him. In my dad's case, he had an advanced directive prohibiting "tubes" (probably phrased differently, but that's the effect). As a result, he could not be assisted with an IV giving him hydration that would have made him more comfortable. My mom discussed the situation with us when the doctors could do no more and wanted to go with "terminal sedation". We said no, go with comfort care and we will be with you. She had an IV that kept her hydrated and provided a port for administering pain meds without her having to swallow pills or have an injection. She lived for another few weeks, giving us time to have conversations we never would have had otherwise. She died peacefully one morning with my sister at her side. That is true death with dignity.Some people do not want to go through the pain and suffering that will happen at the end.. and some, like my dad, do not want to die in a hospital... it was his fear that he would be bed ridden with tubes and machines keeping him alive....
To me it is the quality of life.... my mom is now 99 and could not tell you what she at for dinner even though it was a couple of hours ago... but when I go visit her she knows the rules for the games we play... she is having medical problems, but she is not in pain... she would never IMO qualify for death with dignity... my dad, who had cancer that broke out all over his body and was in terrible pain and none of the pain relievers worked would... now, he died in 1980 and pain mgmt has improved, but I would still want to honor his wish to not die in a hospital...
Holland | Patients Rights Council
Among other things:
'A recent Dutch television documentary on euthanasia in which a 68 year-old woman suffering from semantic dementia was given a lethal injection may well herald a turning point in what many consider to be an increasingly broader — and unacceptable — interpretation of the rules."
She lived for another few weeks, giving us time to have conversations we never would have had otherwise. She died peacefully one morning with my sister at her side. That is true death with dignity.
I understand, but his great problem was fear, which can be allayed without killing him. In my dad's case, he had an advanced directive prohibiting "tubes" (probably phrased differently, but that's the effect). As a result, he could not be assisted with an IV giving him hydration that would have made him more comfortable. My mom discussed the situation with us when the doctors could do no more and wanted to go with "terminal sedation". We said no, go with comfort care and we will be with you. She had an IV that kept her hydrated and provided a port for administering pain meds without her having to swallow pills or have an injection. She lived for another few weeks, giving us time to have conversations we never would have had otherwise. She died peacefully one morning with my sister at her side. That is true death with dignity.
I understand, but his great problem was fear, which can be allayed without killing him. In my dad's case, he had an advanced directive prohibiting "tubes" (probably phrased differently, but that's the effect). As a result, he could not be assisted with an IV giving him hydration that would have made him more comfortable. My mom discussed the situation with us when the doctors could do no more and wanted to go with "terminal sedation". We said no, go with comfort care and we will be with you. She had an IV that kept her hydrated and provided a port for administering pain meds without her having to swallow pills or have an injection. She lived for another few weeks, giving us time to have conversations we never would have had otherwise. She died peacefully one morning with my sister at her side. That is true death with dignity.
Personally, if I were suffering dementia, I would welcome that fate. The last thing I want, regardless of my age, is to be mentally dead yet costing tons of money by family and society to keep me alive for no good purpose.
Personally, if I were suffering dementia, I would welcome that fate. The last thing I want, regardless of my age, is to be mentally dead yet costing tons of money by family and society to keep me alive for no good purpose. I am trying to figure out if I have a window of opportunity in which I would know that I am on the way to dementia, yet I am still aware enough to pass the psychiatric exams in Switzerland so I can do the suicide thing there. No way do I want to be ware-housed in some nursing home.
I don't care if I am only half-demented, pull the plug.
I don't care if I am only half-demented, pull the plug. I mean really, what kind of a life am I going to have between the time of being half-demented to full dementia? It is not as if I will have tons more great experiences to take to the grave with me. I am probably unusual in this sentiment, but I think the greatest departing gift I can give to the world is to get out of the way of the next generation.
After nearly 90 posts, I think a quick break for some levity might be in order, no?
No. She told us the options she had been given and asked what we thought. She seemed happy with our response.What I gave was a great condensation of what happened. I also left out how the doctor who wanted to pack her with sedatives and let her starve and dehydrate to death was retaliatory enough that we had to track him down in the hospital to get him to renew her pain meds. It was his way or he was willing to let her suffer. Remember what happened last century when it was determined there were people with worthless lives.Your mom wanted terminal sedation and you told her no?
Breathing is not living. Living means being able to DO something
No. She told us the options she had been given and asked what we thought. She seemed happy with our response.What I gave was a great condensation of what happened. I also left out how the doctor who wanted to pack her with sedatives and let her starve and dehydrate to death was retaliatory enough that we had to track him down in the hospital to get him to renew her pain meds. It was his way or he was willing to let her suffer. Remember what happened last century when it was determined there were people with worthless lives.
I watched and listened to my mom decline cognitively, over a period of something like 7 or 9 years; she had progressive dementia, worsened by a concussion caused by a falling tree branch. At the end, she was angry (at people trying to help her, who she considered 'controlling'), incapable of remembering how to use a cordless phone, unable to remember who to call to get groceries, etc. Until the second to the last day of her life, she was angry at being placed in a memory care unit (which only lasted 2 weeks); she wanted to live at home, but could not because she had broken her pelvis and could not feed, clothe, or dress herself. I'm not sure whether she would have chosen to end her own life with drugs, but I'm guessing she would.
If I'm ever in that situation, please end my life quickly and painlessly, or let me do it myself...no need to go on taking up space while suffering, at least for me. Thanks!
I’m convinced I’d make the same decision under those circumstances at age 76. I only hope there’s a humane DWD option if I find myself in that situation. Extra weeks, months or even years with poor/no quality of life doesn’t appeal to me, and I’d rather my “$ residual” goes to family, friends, and charities - NOT wasted on medical expenses to prolong the inevitable. YMMVMy sister's FIL received a diagnosis of cancer when he was 76. They wanted to start him on chemo and radiation but he said nope.
I don't care if I am only half-demented, pull the plug. I mean really, what kind of a life am I going to have between the time of being half-demented to full dementia? It is not as if I will have tons more great experiences to take to the grave with me. I am probably unusual in this sentiment, but I think the greatest departing gift I can give to the world is to get out of the way of the next generation.
No. She told us the options she had been given and asked what we thought. She seemed happy with our response.What I gave was a great condensation of what happened. I also left out how the doctor who wanted to pack her with sedatives and let her starve and dehydrate to death was retaliatory enough that we had to track him down in the hospital to get him to renew her pain meds. It was his way or he was willing to let her suffer. Remember what happened last century when it was determined there were people with worthless lives.