Assisted Suicide

Dr Winston O'Boogie

Senior Member

3,345 posts
Tue, Mar 11, 2025 1:35 PM

How do you feel about this topic?


I was reading a WSJ article about elderly couple aging differently. It featured a couple in their 90s where he lives in an independent living apartment and she lhad ves in memory care at the same facility. She doesn’t seem to have a clue who he is, where she is, what she’s doing, etc. 


It got me thinking about this topic. As lifespans continue to increase, I’m hearing more of this term called healthspan which means the length of one’s “healthy” life where one is independent, or functional, of attributes some level of quality to their life - however they judge that.


It seems as though our society automatically values lifespan with little regard to healthspan. 


ptown_trojans_1

Moderator

8,788 posts
Tue, Mar 11, 2025 2:26 PM

100% for it. People should be able to go when they want and not suffer in limbo. 

Not having the option can lead to more suffering. 


There was an HBO doc in 2019, Alternative Endings, Six New Ways to Die in America that was really interesting and explores those options too.


I've also had long conversations with religious and folks in the funeral industry about the topic. 

CenterBHSFan

333 - I'm only half evil

7,259 posts
Tue, Mar 11, 2025 4:06 PM

When my mother was first diagnosed with ALZ she was still mostly cognizant, with only some short term memory loss. She also had numerous other physical disabilities not related to ALZ. She immediately had me take her to our family's lawyer and revised her will. She also had her DNR done - which only cost her a few minutes and her doctor's signature - and appointed me as her legal and medical decision appointee. When the time came, it was done down to the letter of her final wishes; excepting the fuckery of covid mandates.

Her end was peaceful and rather quick.


I don't like the idea of putting the work of doing the deed onto other people in the way that assisted suicide requires. Most people don't even want think about doing that, choosing instead other methods that lets them go well in advance of ever letting it reach that point. 


I don't want to force others to approach things the way my mother and I did, and I don't see how that could be done anyway. But I do wish more people would think ahead before any illness advances.


sportchampps

Senior Member

7,527 posts
Tue, Mar 11, 2025 4:51 PM

My sister in laws father went from pretty healthy to not knowing where he was in like a week. They never figured out what caused it. On top of this he needed a hip replacement but they had given him a steroid shot so he needed to wait 90 days for the surgery. He suffered for those 90 days then they said he couldn’t have the surgery because of his liver. He signed a DNR stopped taking meds that same day and went into hospice. They put something in his jaw to help with the pain and gave him pain meds. He was gone within 12 hours. I think some hospice workers have compassion and are already basically doing it thru medicine while some play it by the book and let someone with cancer suffer for months