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M.A.I.D.

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nobbie48

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Medical Assistance In Dying

In the fallen rider section the comment "Died doing something he loved" is often quoted. Personally, I'd rather live doing something I love.

A few years back I had an elderly neighbour that was cheery and outgoing. She was a joy to talk to, fed the birds, tended her garden, volunteered at venues and walked other peoples dogs. Now due to Alzheimer's disease she is reclusive and dependent on her middle aged daughter for 24/7 care including feeding and diaper changes. She eats with her hands.

I don't feel I have to contribute to society forever but I don't want to be a burden when I can't take care of my basic needs. Dignity is also a big part of life. What is the point of existing as a zombie?

MAID has a lot of rules. The person in question has to agree while they are of sound mind and the person that pulls the plug has restrictions to keep them from exploiting the situation.

The person with the power of death has to be OK with the job. As much as I hate to see the neighbour deteriorate I don't think I could pull the plug on her or anyone else, even Paul Bernardo.

The subject is complex because of emotions, religion, codes of ethics, expectations and in reality, finances. Should finances even part of the discussion? Do you want the assets accumulated over a lifetime to go to diapering a zombie if the zombie is you?

When I was calling on the Ministry of Health I got to know the individuals well enough to jerk their chains occasionally. One day I asked what price they put on a human life and I got the noble answer "We don't put a price on human life". In reality divide the MOH budget by the population and you get an approximation.

The reality is you can't have a hospital bed for each and every person in Ontario sitting empty, just in case.

In the event of a crash you don't get to pick your paramedic. You could have DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) tattooed on your forehead and the medic that shows up has a different code of ethics. They won't let you die even though they can see you'll be a quadriplegic forever.

Thoughts?
 
Not sure where you're going with this.
If you're talking about being paralyzed on the side of the road, it's unlikely anyone can predict if that's going to be the prognosis for the rest of your life or not. The responsible thing is to help with whatever resources are available and see how it turns out.
As an elderly patient gets more frail, and no longer can be cared for at home, they receive palliative care. The goal now is to treat them to make them as comfortable as possible, but no effort is made to cure their ailments. These people do not occupy ICU beds.
Unfortunately, some people will survive for a long time in palliative care even if there is no quality of life. Usually there are no life saving measures to keep those people alive, but we can't end their life either. Defining when someone is "no longer living" despite having a heartbeat is ethically very hard to define and not something that any governing body is likely to address.
Sadly, this results in suicide by those who want this choice, but have to end their lives while they are still capable of doing it themselves before they become a burden.


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To be honest, I don't put a lot of thought into "after a crash" as I may not be able to make many / any decisions from after the point of impact.
Do I believe people should have the right to end their lives. Yes.
 
Jampy00 said:
To be honest, I don't put a lot of thought into "after a crash" as I may not be able to make many / any decisions from after the point of impact.
Do I believe people should have the right to end their lives. Yes.
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I'm not referring to a crash although that may be one case. I suspect more people will suffer from dementia than veggie crashes. The point is that regardless of what makes a person a veggie, the MAID is difficult when there victim didn't make their wishes known when they were mentally competent.

It's like making a will, POA for finances, POA for health and if desired, MAID.
 
I'm a supporter of medically assisted death.

I'd like to think I've seen and witnessed enough to know that when a person's quality of life has deteriorated to the point that they are reliant on someone else for support - it should be ok for them or their guardian to vouch for something like this if need be.

Personally - I'd rather die that be critically sick, injured or what have you depending on the scenario.
In most cases it is the family trying to keep their loved one(s) alive for their own emotional gratification lol.
 
POWERMAN said:
I'm a supporter of medically assisted death.

I'd like to think I've seen and witnessed enough to know that when a person's quality of life has deteriorated to the point that they are reliant on someone else for support - it should be ok for them or their guardian to vouch for something like this if need be.

Personally - I'd rather die that be critically sick, injured or what have you depending on the scenario.
In most cases it is the family trying to keep their loved one(s) alive for their own emotional gratification lol.
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I think we will get to the point (likely because of financial necessity) that treatment will be automatically limited once your quality of life drops below a certain point. Right now, doctors can declare you brain dead and discontinue treatment regardless of the families wishes. I expect that bar will gradually creep (eg, you can't talk, can't eat, haven't smiled in a year (or actively pray for death every day), etc). Not necessarily euthanasia but limiting treatment (eg let blood pressure be high, treat for comfort not to prolong life).
 
jeff96 said:
We've been at that point for decades.

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I was hoping gov't would use the unintentional covid purge to clean up some of the LTC mess. The current system is broken. People can be on wait lists for a very long time and unable to get a spot while LTC is full of zombies with no quality of life (not all residents but most ime). I don't have current LTC experience but I suspect that the waiting lists plummeted (lots more spots opened and some people waiting for spots didn't make it). Once someone determines that long-term care is required, we need a system that gets them in quickly not waiting for years.
 
GreyGhost said:
I was hoping gov't would use the unintentional covid purge to clean up some of the LTC mess. The current system is broken. People can be on wait lists for a very long time and unable to get a spot while LTC is full of zombies with no quality of life (not all residents but most ime). I don't have current LTC experience but I suspect that the waiting lists plummeted (lots more spots opened and some people waiting for spots didn't make it). Once someone determines that long-term care is required, we need a system that gets them in quickly not waiting for years.
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Apparently 40,000 on the waiting list. The neighbour's daughter is being told 4 to 7 years to get her mom into a home of choice.

I wonder how many hospital beds are LTC. You can't just throw them out into the street. Covid-19 and the triage issue was a warning shot across the bow. Sorry sir / madam we have to unplug you. A more deserving person (In our estimation) needs the equipment.

I worry about the criteria for who gets to keep breathing. Does a 50 year old hard drinking and smoking welfare bum get dibs on the equipment over a 73 year old that worked all his life never being on the dole, never in jail, etc. I've never seen any place in the personal statistics where any reward points are assigned to a diligent citizen.
 
....and who gets to award the points?????

I can only decide my own...somewhat. If no chance for a somewhat quality of life....DNR. If they think something can be done, sure hook me up....for a limited time.
 
Riceburner said:
....and who gets to award the points?????

I can only decide my own...somewhat. If no chance for a somewhat quality of life....DNR. If they think something can be done, sure hook me up....for a limited time.
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It's not unreasonable to have maid setup like organ donation. Attached to your drivers license renewal you can decide if you want to take part and if so the limits of your participation. Confirm everytime you renew your license (or anytime if you believe an urgent change is required). Many (I suspect most) people do not want to live as zombies. Now whether they actually sign up for pre-maid or refuse to confront their mortality is a big question mark.
 
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