The last 4-6 months of my father's life were ****. He'd practically lost all of his faculties and his quality of life was virtually non existent. He was my Dad, I did everything I could for him and I'd do it again, but essentially he had become a burden on his family, social services, and the state. I think we need to have a honest conversation as a society about end of life care and Euthanasia. I know it's fraught with legal and moral issues, but the overarching principle of preserving life, even when all quality of life has gone needs to be re-evaluated imo.
I can’t think of anything worse than a functioning brain trapped in a body that is unusable. Surely death is a far preferable option.
Or a disfunctioning brain trapped inside a body that is usable. That was my father's state for the last 3-4 years, until both gradually degenerated to the point of death. The one thing this episode has taught me is to write a living will about what I'd like to happen to me. Although it's not legal now, I will be including the clause that should it become so, I want to be euthanased if my next of kin and a doctor determine that my quality of life has degenerated to a point where I can no longer function without significant intervention. .i.e. doubly incontinent, immobile, unable to speak or make decisions etc. A lot of people say, 'If I ever get in that state, I'll just end it all myself' but more often than not, people lose the capacity to do anything for themselves, so even suicide doesn't even become an option.
I think you might be the new Duncan. They have to follow somebody about the forum obsessing over them.
There's people having a serious debate about their loved ones. Can we keep the trolling to somewhere else, please.
I understand where you’re coming from mate. My ex mother in law suffered and died from Alzheimer’s too. I can only suppose that the only consolation is by the time the end comes you’re so far gone you don’t realise what’s happening.
Yeah there is that, ignorance is bliss. It was the one silver lining with my Dad, that whilst everybody else was falling apart trying to care for him. He was blissfully unaware of it all.
Some of the ethical and moral questions it would raise would be mind-boggling. Trouble is how do your living will trustees decide when that point is reached. For instance I would have decided you were there when you ate that half eaten kebab off the floor in a bus stop.
Thanks for being the moral arbiter, mate. I’m all for euthanasia. The current laws are insane and unfair and still rooted in religious idiocy. We should all be asked to set out our preferences on how we die if we reach a certain point without any fear of retribution from the state.
Scientists and engineers want to be part of whatever comes next, and keep going. That is one of the joys of our profession. Without that, then all you have to live for is new experiences (travelling to the moon, planets in our solar system etc) .
Depends to what level they could engineer your body to feel. If you were 95 forever that would be ****.
Agreed. I’m with Motörhead’s Lemmy on this one... You say that I’m a fool Cos gamblers always lose But that’s the way I like it baby I don’t want to live forever
That is actually the current problem (having the mental agility of a 40 something but being trapped in the physically frail body of someone over twice that age) .
