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Think you want to die at home? You might want to think twice about that

latimes.com

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Re: Think you want to die at home? You might want to think twice about that

#31

Post by prepend »

gHosts wrote: post #17
DoreenMichele wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pro right to die, but it's complicated. If we start killing people "because you are a burden to your family," that's a rather ugly slippery slope that flies in the face of most moral and legal precedents that say "Love and legal obligation mean staying to the bitter end and never faltering in your duty." Most people with something terribly wrong are holding out hope for some new breakthrough -- some new drug or t…

I don't think there is a euthanasia bill passed or even on the table in the entire planet where "we start killing people because you" is acceptable. That's just plain FUD. They are all, "The patient, being of sound mind, jumps through a large bunch of legal hurdles to be permitted to exit peacefully and painlessly." > "Most people with something terribly wrong are holding out hope" We're talking about people inches f…

There aren’t laws with that explicit purpose, but it does seem to occur. I don’t actively seek out and follow this topic, but I remember a few news stories where I shook my head:

- https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-45117163 29 chooses physician assisted suicide because she was terminally mentally ill - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/world/europe/doctors-belg... a case where doctors were acquitted, but charged by a family member, of eeuthenasia a 40 year old who was depressed and autistic. Other family members supported the death. Also has another story of “ In the Netherlands, a doctor was acquitted in September after having been accused of failing to secure proper consent from a 74-year-old patient who suffered from Alzheimer’s and had been administered euthanasia by the doctor.”

I think this is an issue where the risk of abuse or misuse is very great. The accusation in the above case is that doctors did not attempt to treat the depression and instead allowed the patient to choose death. At 40.

Depression and Suicide is serious. I don’t want to go down a path where there’s some suicide checklist that includes “ok then, off you go” rather than trying to treat depression and help the patient.

I don’t think it’s FUD to discuss this and think about it with others. It’s important and not clear cut.

Re: Think you want to die at home? You might want to think twice about that

#32

Post by lallysingh »

chx wrote: post #21
kylec wrote: post #6

I feel like more people should consider euthanasia. If caring for you is a huge physical and financial burden, and you're basically waiting to die anyway , why not just get it over with?

I am. I have decided years ago and I do not see this changing significantly that once my mortgage is paid down -- which is approximately in eight years -- I just want to die, I will be 53 by then. By then the so called "bucket list" will be empty. I am living alone and this I can't see changing any time soon. Do not think I am suicidal or depressed -- I have three international trips booked for this year already and…

Are you healthy? What keeps life from being more enjoyable?

Re: Think you want to die at home? You might want to think twice about that

#33

Post by prepend »

chx wrote: post #21
kylec wrote: post #6

I feel like more people should consider euthanasia. If caring for you is a huge physical and financial burden, and you're basically waiting to die anyway , why not just get it over with?

I am. I have decided years ago and I do not see this changing significantly that once my mortgage is paid down -- which is approximately in eight years -- I just want to die, I will be 53 by then. By then the so called "bucket list" will be empty. I am living alone and this I can't see changing any time soon. Do not think I am suicidal or depressed -- I have three international trips booked for this year already and…

First, I really hope you reconsider as there are so many people you can help in the world.

But I’m very curious your motivation to pay off your mortgage before death. What is driving that? I always thought mortgage payment was a stress as it is to me. But if I were to die then I wouldn’t need to care about mortgage. If anything, I would pay less mortgage and spend more liberally in my final 8 years. Perhaps 4 or even 5 international trips.

Re: Think you want to die at home? You might want to think twice about that

#34

Post by DoreenMichele »

erikerikson wrote: post #30

We could optimize for quality of life rather than length of life. It'd sure help that be a more positive experience if we inverted that. Give me a good life over a long one, within responsibile parameters, it was always temporary. Frankly, I'm glad for that.

Ironically, that might actually extend life as well.

Re: Think you want to die at home? You might want to think twice about that

#35

Post by denkmoon »

Polylactic_acid wrote: post #26
warent wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assisted suicide is illegal throughout most of the USA so it's not even an option. Also, many people just aren't in a rush to die. Whatever your beliefs, one thing for certain is that it's a permanent and irreversible transition of some kind. It's unsettling, at least on primal levels.

Artificially keeping someone alive as a suffering vegetable is also unsettling.

Agreed. Life is only worth living if I am "me". A mere collection of cells undergoing biological processes is not "me", and the idea of being trapped inside a broken body is genuine nightmare material.

Re: Think you want to die at home? You might want to think twice about that

#36

Post by prepend »

JshWright wrote: post #15
lonelappde wrote: post #11

Extremely biased article, bordering on propaganda. Not everyone dying is an ongoing expensive burden, and care facilities aren't miracle cures. Many people need somewhere to rest on their way out.

How can someone relating their personal experience be "biased"? Anecdotally (in my experience as a paramedic), I agree that many people significantly underestimate how hard it is to care for someone who is dying.

> How can someone relating their personal experience be "biased"?

Aside from all stories we tell being biased there are many ways a story I tell about my experience can be especially biased. Exaggeration, omission, conflation, and then there’s outright deceit. There’s also the possibility that what I believe is real is not [0].

I don’t like assuming the worst or accusing people, but I certainly don’t think that all personal accounts are completely neutral. People usually tell stories with some motive and I think it’s valuable to be politely cynical, a bit.

[0] https://www.ncsc.org/microsites/trends/home/Monthly-Trends-A...

Re: Think you want to die at home? You might want to think twice about that

#37

Post by bsder »

lonelappde wrote: post #11

Extremely biased article, bordering on propaganda. Not everyone dying is an ongoing expensive burden, and care facilities aren't miracle cures. Many people need somewhere to rest on their way out.

> Not everyone dying is an ongoing expensive burden

An increasing amount are. Dementia is increasing. People live longer and wind up with strokes or extreme feebleness.

Having had a parent with Alzheimer's, if I go that direction I will make sure to end my life. Why would I ever want to subject my family to taking care of me with something that cannot even hope to be slowed down let alone cured?

Re: Think you want to die at home? You might want to think twice about that

#38

Post by kube-system »

kylec wrote: post #6

I feel like more people should consider euthanasia. If caring for you is a huge physical and financial burden, and you're basically waiting to die anyway , why not just get it over with?

Is that even a possible option for many people in this situation?

The overlap between "unable to care for oneself and a burden on caretaker" and "unable to consent" is probably pretty large.

Re: Think you want to die at home? You might want to think twice about that

#39

Post by DoreenMichele »

riku_iki wrote: post #28
chx wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am. I have decided years ago and I do not see this changing significantly that once my mortgage is paid down -- which is approximately in eight years -- I just want to die, I will be 53 by then. By then the so called "bucket list" will be empty. I am living alone and this I can't see changing any time soon. Do not think I am suicidal or depressed -- I have three international trips booked for this year already and…

53 looks young enough to be active, enjoy life and add value to society if you take care of your health.

It depends on the condition in question. Some conditions have a life expectancy lower than age 53 and someone that age is deemed elderly for that subpopulation and can be suffering horribly.
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