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As I grow older a disturbing pattern is beginning to emerge. A number of our friends are starting to take care of their elderly parents. While that in itself is not disturbing, seeing some of them deal with parents who have lost all quality of life and yet live on has made me more determined NOT to put our children through that.
Why is it that we can humanely put our pets down yet we allow our elderly to suffer on for years knowing that they wouldn't want it that way. DNR's are great when one has fallen terminally ill but what about those who exist in a vegetative state.
There will come a day when our state and federal governments will allow us to make the compassionate decision but unfortunately it will only be due to the fact that they will be doing it for monetary purposes only.
You are wrong here. In my state Assisted Suicide is allowed so the government can and does allow it. There is absolutely no monetary gain for anyone. I know two people who applied for this program and were accepted. They had all that was required but passed away before they could actually use it. Still everything was in place so they if needed. It was tremendous comfort to them knowing it was there and they, and they alone not doctors, family, clergy or anyone else had control over their pain and suffering.
One of these people was my best friend whom I had known for years. I held her hand just days before she passed away. She told me not to worry because if things got too bad, she could make it stop. That broke my hear. She was comforting me. But that's because she had control.
Until someone has witnessed this, I don't think they can have any idea how powerful this kind of control is on a person who is in pain and dying and knows it but has the authority over their own life and death. It absolutely changed my perspective on life and death forever. I believe that no one has the right to make that determination for anyone else. As I said not doctors, family, clergy or anyone else but those who possess the lives themselves.
Until someone has witnessed this, I don't think they can have any idea how powerful this kind of control is on a person who is in pain and dying and knows it but has the authority over their own life and death. It absolutely changed my perspective on life and death forever. I believe that no one has the right to make that determination for anyone else. As I said not doctors, family, clergy or anyone else but those who possess the lives themselves.
My Dad had been a very independent, self sufficient person all his life, and being confined to a wheel chair and a nursing home was very disheartening to him. He asked my brother to bring him a pistol, which he wouldn't do. Life can do that to you.
The seniors I know (and sort of know) know their own minds. They are not feeble creatures who cannot think for themselves. Legislation could be passed preventing those who are not in their right minds (dementias, etc) from committing themselves to suicide. The rest of us are smart enough to do what we want, with the help we need to do so.
What I find most interesting, and this was again confirmed by your pbs link, is that people just want to know they have a way out - most of the time they don't take it. The assurance gives them the peace of mind to continue living
Quote:
They're green-lit after examination of their papers by a doctor. Then what?
Seventy percent of our members which have got provisional green light do never call again. It's very interesting.
They are just looking in order to have a choice, to make a choice, because normally they are in a terrible dilemma. ... Would I have to go through the whole illness until the so-called natural death, with all the pains, with all the difficulties, or must I make a very risky suicide attempt? When we are getting the provisional green light, this is a sort of opening an emergency exit. So they know, "I could go through this emergency exit if really I am in difficulties," and this is calming them. ... Seventy percent never come to Zurich?
Not only never come to Zurich, never call again. We never hear from them. Then we get the invoice for the membership fee for the next year, and then they will pay the membership fee, but they will never call again. It's very, very interesting. Thirty percent will call again?
From the rest of 30 percent, only a part will come to Zurich. We do lose more members by natural deaths within a year than we lose by assisted suicide.
Sometimes natural deaths will occur very soon after they have got the provisional green light. This shows that they have been in a high tension, and when this tension has gone, they can leave.
Me, I would like to make my own choice. If I have no quality of life, for me, there is no reason to be here.
And if you have no surviving family members to intervene, no Advanced Directives, you get to that stage where they deem you mentally incompetent to sign a DNR order, you automatically go to Full-Code!
Enjoy your last days! The staff will be happy, as you become nothing more than an addition to their financial security!
And even with family members, your wishes may not materialize!
Where I work, there was an elderly woman, down to just bones, colostomy bag, tube feeding, no hope whatsoever. Her son came one day, said: Please put my mother out of her misery, discontinue the feedings! Order carried out!
2 days later, the daughter arrives: Re-connect her! re-connect her!
An uncle had copd and did not want to prolong his life. he requested Do Not Resuscitate and filed allthe paperwork. He passed out in his home and his wife
call 911. Guess what because the paramedics arrived they had to resuscitate him. Even if he had DNR tattooed all over his body, they had to resuscitate.
Took him two long and ugly weeks to expire.
Having worked in nursing homes for 11 years, I've seen it! Patient is DNR, and they'll still try to keep that body functioning with the their Crash Cart!
Not a good time to die in one of these places if the heacount is low! Better to die when the place is full!
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Better to die when the place is full!
