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euthanize the old?

It occurs to me that more and more elderly are being crammed into our care system, which is far from ideal, what with fears of abuse and so forth.

But many of us also know first hand watching a grandparent with dementia and other advanced chronic conditions slowly withering away and one asks themselves what quality of life these people truly have. Especially when in the case of demented elderly, for all intents and purposes they're brain has checked out but their body hasn't got the memo.

How do you guys feel about euthanasia of the severely ill elderly?

Personally I have an elderly aunt who has Alzheimers, and grandparents before her who were even further gone.

They soil themselves, they get confused, and it becomes all but crippling to look after them in any way that is considered 'comfortable' let alone whether there's much left of them to even appreciate it.

My mum's mother was so far gone she didn't do anything but sit there staring into space every day, No response or anything to anyone. We might have well not been there when we visited her.

I personally think that as long as there was stringent checks, elderly suffering advanced dementia who are deemed to no longer be benefiting from the huge care required just to keep them alive should be allowed (with familial consent) to pass away, by whatever means is deemed human should such a system come into effect.

I also don't particularly enjoy the prospect of becoming a prisoner and slave to my increasingly own failing body and god spare me, mind. I can't say how I may feel in the future but as it stands if I could know how long my 'useful' life would last I'd seek to end my own life before I became so frail and beyond it that I couldn't even kill myself let alone live in any meaningful way.

But this is my personal thoughts and a lot of people think and feel differently. How do you?

Reply 1

Dalek1099

I often think that being old generally is like torture.I am speaking generally here because generally they are very weak and frail and losing the ability to much of what they enjoyed before, they won't be as able to understand things as before or as able to get up and participate in sports or look after themselves and this would be very painful both emotionally and physically and this torture often lasts many years and to add to that torture is the fact that these people are waiting to die, they know its coming but don't know when its sort of like Death Row but loads of pain on top of that.Old people also have virtually nothing to look forward to so its hard to see how they get through this torture and this is talking about a general old person not one who has Dementia, which is the most horrible thing ever because you completely lose yourself and degrade mentally and people who have really painful terminal cancers and other illnesses, which are really painful.I do think Euthanasia should be allowed because life can be very unpleasant fro these people but it must be moderated strictly so there are no abuses.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 2

username878045

I think euthanasia should be allowed with the consent of the person. Their body, their choice. But someone with Alzheimer's who cannot consent should not be euthanised.

Reply 3

Mourinho<3

I personally would like the choice of euthanasia-but I understand why with so many vested interests it is not allowed. If I had a mental illness say who would decide for me;
The state can be accused of wanting to reduce pension pay outs.
The hosptials again can be accused of wanting to save their own money.
Relatives can be accused of being overly interested in inheritance.

What I am saying is that for me while I believe it to be the more humane choice (why live an extra 3 months for cancer sufferers when that three months will be so painful etc etc) those making the descisions would have a lot of scrutiny on them to ensure their motives were honourable. The current system therefore, by removing vested interests more, may actually be kinder as it prevents some acting for their interests.

Cynical view by me maybe-but while I would like euthanasia those who would decide for me I would not trust as much.

Reply 4

bertstare

It should be legal in theory but I'd be interested to see someone come up with actual laws on the subject which are not only fair, but also prevent misuse. Think about it for a little and it's easy to see why it's near impossible to determine who should be allowed euthanasia and who shouldn't without it causing masses of controversy.

Reply 5

No Man

Euthanasia should be available for those that want it, provided they have a valid reason/evidence.
It might become more important as the the population grows older. Saying that it may come after a certain point since it's legal in Japan and Germany (which have a large percentage of old people).

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 6

paddyman4

That's a pretty sinister suggestion, we can't decide when other people should die.

However, personally I would rather die than become what many old people become. I often think that I'd rather die slightly before my time than linger on as a shadow of what I used to be, existing for years after I stopped living.

Reply 7

Kelytha

The problem with euthanasia, is that unless you are very specific about what you do and don't want, people could misunderstand your wishes. It could also be used unethically. For example, a doctor may euthanise an elderly person in a coma (who could recover given time) to free up bed space. This could end up meaning people who could have lived may die.

When I die, I want it to be on my terms. I don't want to suffer or linger needlessly.

Reply 8

x-pixie-x

I think you should have it as an option in your will if you ever end up like that. I work with elderly people, many of whom have end stage dementia and I don't believe they really have any quality of life. They can't walk, can't talk, can't eat or drink for themselves and are incontinent and their minds aren't what they used to be and it's like they're just a shell. I don't feel you should get to that stage and be like that for years, I wouldn't want to be anyway. And yes it does cost so much money to look after them, worse still they'll never get better from it.