I would like to think as my own life creeps inexorably toward the deep end of its length, that I may have some say in how I choose to spend my final days on Earth. There is a startling move in Australia. of some of our dear old Grannies and Grandpas, opting to take their fate into their own hands when it comes to the end of their life as they know it. That is by way of choosing to end their life in a peaceful manner when they deem themselves ready to do so.
At first one might be shocked to learn just how many healthy of mind and body elderly people are thinking about choosing this option, when it suits them to finish their life with dignity, with all their mental faculties in tact and without pain or loss of dignity. We all know how distressing it is to witness a loved one deteriorate into dementia, or for someone who has suffered a stroke, to be so physically affected that they no longer have any quality of life. The loss of dignity and total lack of quality for some old people in our nursing homes is heart wrenching. It seems after a full, rich, long life, a person ought to have the right to choose when the time to go has come and have a chance to celebrate their life before they are gone, or have lost the ability to do so. After all we do so for our beloved pets so they will not suffer. We let them go to sleep without pain, trauma and in peace.
Many old people take their own lives in the end and some in dreadfully violent or unpleasant ways, simply because the means to do so in a peaceful way was not available to them. Should we make the means available to them? This is the question that riddles this dilemma? How do we advocate a peaceful "passing"? We cannot! It is against all our human beliefs in the preservation of life at all cost, but do we really think about or measure that cost to the individual in terms of the pain they may be suffering or worse their loss of dignity?
On the odd occasion, my own now elderly mother has said that she would avoid having to go to a nursing home at any cost and would prefer to just walk into the ocean and allow herself to drift out to sea, rather than feel like a burden on the rest of the family, or the system. I know that she will not do this A) because she is a devout Catholic and B) It takes a great deal of courage to do such a thing. Not that that courage is not evident within her, but her frailty now dictates her thinking in every way. Oddly enough this was her thinking a long time before she became frail and was still of sound health. Fear rules us all in the end, but it has to say something drastic about our society as a whole to think that old people are feeling this way. It isn't difficult to understand the reasoning behind it and in many ways it makes a lot of sense, in practical terms. It is our emotions and basic humanity that rule our reaction to this.
Were we a society that looked after its elderly in our family homes and took care of our loved ones in a more caring and family based environment, would they feel differently? It is a pity that we have the mind set developing amongst our elderly. Whilst this may only be a very small minority of the aged population, this number will be increasing rapidly over the next decade or two, as the "Baby Boomers" Or Post War progeny begin to enter the winter of their lives. Our Aged Care Nursing facilities need to be radically overhauled and a more humane and quality of care approach taken to the care of our precious loved ones. Having known quite few aged care nurses, it is alarming to hear so many opting to leave the profession, because they can no longer tolerate the conditions or lack of quality care practices taking place in some Nursing Homes, not to mention the lack of financial incentive in the form of decent wages, but also the stress of working in understaffed and overworked stations. It is a very real and urgent social problem that needs addressing.
Our own time will come sooner than we would like to think as well. What end would you have yourself face? Will we be able to age gracefully and comfortably in a peaceful and caring environment. The idea that some people deem it necessary to take their own lives in the end is a bitter indictment on our society as a whole. Families need to respond to these needs and fears of the elderly and it is really up to us to change the way they view the end of life. By offering our love and support for that time in their lives and reassuring them that they will be taken care of.
Western Society has become so "throw away" in its mentality, that even human life when it is deemed of no further use is discarded or closeted away and left to the professionals to deal with. This abhorrent attitude needs to be addressed and we all need to lobby for better conditions, other wise we face an even greater challenge ourselves when our turn comes. Mandatory changes need to be made to our aged care nursing programs and our own selfish desires to be unencumbered by the infirm and frail. Privately owned institutions have too much autonomy. The problem of aged people actively preparing to do these things is just as topical and ethical a topic as abortion, youth suicide, genetic engineering, stem cell research or any other right to life issue. But who is the person to judge or deem any individual at the end of life, fit to make such a decision or not?
http://xcessivetangents.blogspot.com http://swb-thetroublewithbeingfemale.blogspot.com/ By Mary-Jane Irwin
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