'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018) • Hacker News Board

Re: 'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)

#101

Post by robodale » Tue, Dec 22, 2020, 2:35 PM UTC

This was a well-timed post. Thank you.

My wife's father (my father-in-law) passed away just 2 days ago at 75 years old with severe dementia due to a series of mini-strokes in his brain over the last ~5-6 years. I can't remember the medical term, but due to weakened and brittle blood vessels in the brain from plaque build-ups within the vessels. Doctors said he was in perfect health other than this single reason. With each mini-stroke, you could see him get knocked down step by step. He'd recover a little, but never back to baseline (which kept getting lower).

Seeing him go from the strong-handshaking, always smiling Minnesota corn farmer patriarch who regularly would outwork me when I'd be helping him with house projects....to seeing him take his last breath surrounded by his wife, 4 daughters, several granddaughters, and me...was heartbreaking.

...from the article, Jo was 40 years old. I'm 47 as I type this and cannot comprehend that happening so early.

Re: 'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)

#102

Post by danbmil99 » Wed, Dec 23, 2020, 6:20 AM UTC

fuzxi wrote: post #100

danbmil99 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm 61 and have PD. I'm planning to do exactly what you propose here. I think the degree of suffering and misery that comes with death due to attitudes that are imposed on us by our Puritan Christian Heritage is a serious tragedy. I can't think of a reasonable argument against my position. My body, my life, my decision. And I have the right to make that decision while I'm mentally competent, and have it respected if/…

>I'm planning to do exactly what you propose here. How, if you don't mind sharing? Something like a passphrase shared with a trusted loved one?

The whole point of the idea is to leave potential accomplices out of the loop -- I don't want my last thoughts to be worry about legal peril to people I love.

Here's one scenario that is feasible today. Imagine an IV drip controlled by a computer. If I enter the correct password when prompted (say once every 24 hours), nothing happens. However if I am prompted repeatedly to enter the password and I do not do so, the IV drip is actuated. The drip contains an end-of-life cocktail.

This puts the onus on me to make an affirmative choice each day to continue to live. If I am unwilling or unable to enter the passcode, that indicates either 1) my condition has deteriorated to the point where I am cognitively or physically so disabled that I cannot remember and physically enter the password, or 2) I am making a conscious choice to end my life.

There is no action to be taken by anyone to cause my death; the decision rests entirely with me, and is effectuated by a machine, not a person.

Re: 'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)

#103

Post by dragonwriter » Wed, Dec 23, 2020, 6:23 AM UTC

danbmil99 wrote: post #102

fuzxi wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I'm planning to do exactly what you propose here. How, if you don't mind sharing? Something like a passphrase shared with a trusted loved one?

The whole point of the idea is to leave potential accomplices out of the loop -- I don't want my last thoughts to be worry about legal peril to people I love. Here's one scenario that is feasible today. Imagine an IV drip controlled by a computer. If I enter the correct password when prompted (say once every 24 hours), nothing happens. However if I am prompted repeatedly to enter the password and I do not do so, the…

> This puts the onus on me to make an affirmative choice each day to continue to live. If I am unwilling or unable to enter the passcode, that indicates either 1) my condition has deteriorated to the point where I am cognitively or physically so disabled that I cannot remember and physically enter the password, or 2) I am making a conscious choice to end my life.

Or (3) hardware or software defect exists and has been triggered. Fail-deadly systems are usually disfavored for very sound reasons.

Now, I suppose in this situation you could be convinced enough that you are going to want to die so imminently than the risk/cost of an accidental early trigger is acceptable, though.