eu·tha·na·sia (yth-nzh)
n.
1. The act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment.
2. A quiet, painless death.
Davey brought this up in the discussion of the video we watched and I thought it would be interesting to hear some of your points of views. I am in Gulf Shores for a conference and I am staying in a condo with several ladies. I explained to them what I was working on and asked their opinion. Boy did this not open a can of worms. Very interesting perspectives. The first lady who spoke said adamantly that she agreed with euthanasia, that it should be our right to die if we chose to. She is someone I just met and is not aware of my mother's situation. I then told her I was on the fence with this subject. She then made the comment that people would do this just to get rid of the old. There has been many times that Mom has asked me or one of the other siblings to just pull the plug. There is no way I could do this. I know my mother is not living a quality of life that she would like to have but it is life. When mother first got sick the doctors asked us if need be did we agree to have her put on a ventilator. We wanted the doctors to be able to tell us whether or not it would be temporary or not. Of course they could not predict the future. Ultimately it was my Mom's decision. The doctors made the decision that she was of her right mind and that the decision was hers. She was desperate for a breath and told them yes. She has asked me on many occasions who made this decision to put me on this machine? This is one time that I lied to my Mom because I told her the doctors did it. Well, my point is, we would have all missed so much if she had not made that decision that day. No, it is not the perfect situation nor is it what we would have chosen but I have never been any closer to my Mom. My relationship with my siblings and father has also grown. My mother has gotten to see two great grandchildren that have been born since the decision. Have we all not made the comment to one of our loved ones, don't let me just lay there and suffer. I know I am a little all over the place with this subject. I guess it is because that is where my thoughts are at. I have a sister that is staying with Mom this week while I am at the conference so I will not be staying with her this week. Although I enjoy the break I really do miss being there. The elderly are such a valuable resource. Amazing how much we can learn. Well, let me know your opinion.
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How social roles are altered by becoming caregivers or care receivers.
- http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/eldercare/2007-06-24-elder-care-cover_N.htm
- http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ElderCare/story?id=3312789&page=1
- http://www.onlineorganizing.com/ExpertAdviceToolboxTips.asp?tipsheet=92
8 comments:
Wow Diane, that is a scary subject. I'm not sure what I think about it. I mean I'm a Christian so I would say that only God should decide when someone dies, however, with the lastest technology, we can keep people alive for years on machines and that's not really fair either. Now that I live with my grandmother and we have become so close, I do not think there would come a time that I would be okay with her choosing to die. I know that sounds really selfish, however, it's the truth. She always says that when she becomes a burden and cannot think and do for herself, she wants to die. I say, no way, I will just take care of you then like you take care of me now. It's also so hard to make that decision because it is the one decision in life that is completely final. There is certainly no changing your mind, once it is done, that's it. I don't know, I guess I'm rambling now but that is a hard subject to wrap your mind around.
There is a distinction that is important in this discussion: the difference between passive euthanasia and active euthanasia. Hospice in this country uses passive euthanasia - correct me if I'm wrong - but must have a dx of terminal illness with life expectancy of 6 months and no life-sustaining medication (chemo treatments, antibiotics, etc). Our Code is leaving it up to us to determine our actions with the dying on a case by case basis. Self-determination being the guiding factor. Active euthanasia is along the lines of physician-assisted suicide. The Hemlock Society is supportive of this - on first blush, some of you may be repelled.
Consider the person who knows they are dying, has several physicians who have, in writing, attested to the terminal nature of the persons illness and their sound mind, has exhausted all possible means of cure (including prayer if that's what you need to include), and is in excruciating pain or has lost the ability to function so that they are dependent on others for their daily needs. If this person chooses, and it is solely their choice with no pressure from anyone else, has their will in order (living and otherwise) - who is to say that this person is not entitled to death with dignity? Should not we, as social workers, advocate for this person's right to self-determination?
I was in grad school when my mother died from cancer - her doctors never told her it was terminal. She died thinking she was in the hospital for another round of chemo - my sister (a nurse) pumped her with as much morphine as the machine would allow - she never called me or my other sisters - my mother never got the opportunity to say goodbye nor we to her. What if she had been told - what would she have wanted? Surely to say goodbye to her children, grandchildren, and friends - she would have wanted us to say goodbye to her.
In this discussion we are having here about dying, we have to remember that maybe it's alright to talk about dying with the dying - ask what they want, assist them with a living will. Maybe that is the most gracious thing we can do.
Because my blog topic is close to yours I had researched Euthanasia and I do think it is a slippery slope, helping people end their pain suddenly turns into how can we save some money on expensive health care. Doctors may not offer to give someone life ending drugs but when they see the situation is dire and irreversible, they will usually suggest that the family not push for life saving treatments. I would never want my mom or dad to be in terrible pain but I do not think I could live with myself if I helped them die and I don't think they would put me in that position. I definitely don't think that we can trust outside institutions to have control over life and death decisions without ulterior motives.
Thanks for your comments. This is just a really difficult subject for me because I am living it each day. I wish my Mother would talk about dying and her wishes but if you bring it up to her she does not want to talk about it. Makes it much more difficult for us all. Although she has been like this for five years she told my sister this week that she has just realized she will not be getting any better, I thought we had already went through this but apparently not. I feel so guilty about talking about her dying because I don't want her to think that is what I want to happen. She already comments that she is a burden to us, I do not want her to think we are just sitting around waiting for her to die. Very difficult subject. Thanks again for your comments.
This is a subject that I am still on the fence about myself. I saw my grandfather die when they took him off the oxegen and I still think about how horrable it was to watch him die like that. But on the other hand I am a Christian and feel that it is Gods place to take us when he is ready. There are so many illnesses like cancer that you are in such pain that I would hate to see anybody go through that so in that I would say that I agree with euthanasia but then on the other hand I feel that this is just like commeting murder. This was a great blog and I would have to say that I do not know if I could ever deside one way or the other.
I think this is a very good topic to discuss. Earlier this week I viewed euthanasia as a way to help commit murder, but I actually thought to put myself in the other person's shoes. I would not want to be a burden to my family either. I would like to think I would be able to let "God have His way with me", but what if I'm not strong enough. Sounds like a contradiction, doesn't it? But it's true. I lost a great-aunt earlier this year to cancer, and she was totally dependent on her family and was in a great deal of pain. I honestly do not know how I really feel about this subject yet. In reality, I guess my thoughts about it would change according to the situation.
Many weeks ago, I made a response posting about being assigned to a terminally ill client. I expressed my anxiety about the fact that I didn't know what to say or how to handle the situation. Well, when I went to see him for the assessment I asked him how I could help him. He simply said that he wanted to talk about dying. I nervously responded that I was just a case manager and that he probably needed to talk to a therapist about it. He then said that he wanted to talk to ME about dying and after some hesitation, I agreed. And I now realize, just as 'Gradual Student' pointed out, that is the best thing I could do for him.
I think terminally ill patients should be able to choose when to end there lives. I feel we have come a long way regarding this with advance directives and living wills. When my grandmother was in the nursing home and her health began to decline, she made the choice to not be resuscitated. They put a band on her wrist and although it did not say it, that's what it meant. My aunt was terminally ill and she sign an advanced directive regarding her desire to be allowed to pass on when the time came. As you mentioned, with all of the medical advances, people can be kept alive for long periods of time even though they are terminally ill or in comas with no chance of recovery. So, people should maybe examine their feelings about what they would want and have the legal documents in order. I have friends who have done this but I guess I'm not ready to really explore my feelings about this on a personal level. But I do think the choice should be the individuals.
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