Quote:
Originally Posted by Trojan97
My sympathies to you Thor on the state of your sister.
One of the issues with the current bill as it stands is that the wording does not allow for those with Alzheimers/dementia to do much about it. In the early stages, you wouldn't meet the current criteria for assisted suicide as there is no immediate threat of death or suffering. By the point it gets to that point, the person is no longer of a sound mind to make the call.
As with anything else, I assume we will see many alterations and amendments in the coming years. The ability to establish directives in the early stages of diagnosis is no doubt something that will come in the years ahead. Sad for those who will no doubt needlessly suffer in the meantime prior to these inevitable changes being made.
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Yeah we are specifically lobbying for people of sound mind to have their wishes with Alzheimers to when they are early on ask for a point where they would no longer wish to continue. That is not an easy thing to pinpoint with the disease but our father for example stated he did not want to live if he was unable to read books, the paper, hold conversations with people, and in his most ardent point, be at a point where he could no longer recognize family or being confused and needing extra care beyond what a normal old folks home person required.
He reached that point about 12 months before his death, and was put in a part of the home which was for people very far gone, he was miserable, confused, even started some fires in the elevator because he was convinced people were stealing things from his room. It was a rough time for him.
My sister is now skin and bones, can not eat food that is not soup, or liquid, barely ever leaves her bed and that is just to smoke which she has dramatically decreased, and her only pleasure is drinking some vodka which the doctors and her children don't want her doing, but at this point with all that she is suffering its hard to take that away from her too. She can't speak, hasn't been able to for 3 years now, can barely move, needs help getting in and out of bed in to her electric wheelchair.
We siblings talked about if we were in her situation we would have ended our life a year or two ago, and its heartbreaking knowing she wants to go in peace but no one can do anything about it without breaking the law. The suffering on her children having to see her waste away like that is devastating.