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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

#41

Post by dctoedt »

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…

> Do not think I am suicidal or depressed

I respect your view (and share your fear of decay), but please don't rule out depression; you might not be able to accurately diagnose yourself. A clergyman friend once said, after someone committed suicide, that depression is a disease that can be fatal.

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

#42

Post by Damorian »

kube-system wrote: post #38
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.

Right? There are so many means to quick and painless suicide. Everyone talking about a "right to die" demanding government legislation makes no sense to me.

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

#43

Post by epx »

Had an uncle that died at home and the family suffered a lot more than if he went to the hospital. Changed my mind about this topic.

My plan if I get a terminal illness is to put the paperwork in order and disappear into the forest or sail into the sea :)

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

#44

Post by a-dub »

refurb wrote: post #3

As the article states, every situation is unique. Would I want to die a home if I had a brain tumor that was causing me to act violent and I wasn't lucid? No, I would want to be a facility. Would I want to die at home if I had a heart issue that would leave me bedridden but lucid and I would likely just fade away? Sure.

The problem is that it deputizes your loved ones as stand-ins for professional medical staff. End of life care is hard for the professionals, don't put it on your loved ones.

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

#45

Post by kube-system »

Damorian wrote: post #42
kube-system wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Right? There are so many means to quick and painless suicide. Everyone talking about a "right to die" demanding government legislation makes no sense to me.

I'm not sure I agree with that. I'm saying that even if euthanasia was accessible, many of the people the article is talking about wouldn't be able to legally consent to it anyway.

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

#46

Post by chkaloon »

Just went through this with my dad. Fortunately he was financially able to be in an assisted living facility which gave me and my sister much needed assistance and help during the process. As mentioned in the article, hospice covers very little.

Unfortunately nursing home or assisted living costs $200-$800 per day depending on the place you live and the assistance needed. If your loved one doesn't qualify for Medicaid, they are responsible for that. Medicare does NOT cover it, contrary to what many think. The only option for many is to drain their savings until they are destitute enough to qualify for Medicaid. One could argue that one reason you save is to take care of yourself in old age, but when the draining of savings actually happens it adds to the emotional toll.

Long Term Care insurance is an option if you plan ahead, but it has become VERY expensive and hard to get now that the LTC providers have realized that their actuarial tables were way off years ago.

Tough situation.

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

#47

Post by gwright »

DoreenMichele wrote: post #13
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'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'm pro right to die, but it's complicated. > I think I should have the right to say "Nope. I'm done with this crap."

This is a pretty standard way of staking out a position on this topic but I think it is quite misleading.

Laws regarding euthanasia have very little if anything to do with limiting the actions of someone who wants to die or protecting their "rights". After all they can't be prosecuted after they have passed.

Without some special provisions, a doctor or anyone else who assists in someone's death could be prosecuted for criminal homicide. And once you've carved out that exception you also have to devise a way to protect an individual from being killed by someone under the pretense of lawfully assisting with their suicide.

So it isn't really about the "right to die" but instead is about regulating homicide. I know that sounds strange, but there are several legal principles that could be described as "regulating homicide". For example committing homicide in self-defense or in order to protect someone or as part of a lawful military action.

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

#48

Post by bhhaskin »

epx wrote: post #43

Had an uncle that died at home and the family suffered a lot more than if he went to the hospital. Changed my mind about this topic. My plan if I get a terminal illness is to put the paperwork in order and disappear into the forest or sail into the sea :)

Just keep in mind that if you just disappear your family won't be able to get a death certificate for at least 7 years if they don't find a body. With out a death certificate they won't be able to collect life insurance, inheritance, or deal with the estate.

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

#49

Post by DoreenMichele »

gwright wrote: post #47
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'm pro right to die, but it's complicated. > I think I should have the right to say "Nope. I'm done with this crap." This is a pretty standard way of staking out a position on this topic but I think it is quite misleading. Laws regarding euthanasia have very little if anything to do with limiting the actions of someone who wants to die or protecting their "rights". After all they can't be prosecuted after they hav…

Thank you for this comment.

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

#50

Post by klipklop »

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…

This could be a case of moderate anosognosia? Living alone can be terrible for mental health.

I know a guy around your age after a divorce decided to move in with some younger roommates in SV, even though he had plenty of money to live alone. He did this to stay socially engaged.

EDIT: I recall there have been a few studies where people became more satisfied with their life as they aged. I hope this is the case for you.

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