Today's NY Times Magazine article recounting a daughter's experiences with the decline of her aged parents highlighted a subject I've been thinking about more and more as I age and more and more of my family, friends and associates die. The changes in medicine in my lifetime have been phenomenal, but they will not prevent your death. That is reality.
Many doctors will go to extremes to keep us alive for as long as possible. The problem is with one's definition of life for both you, the patient, and for those you will be leaving behind. In the article by Katy Butler the life-preserving actions performed on her father resulted in a far worse situation for him, his wife and children than if he had been allowed to die in peace. Yes, the daughter really didn't know how the father felt, but she makes a strong case that he had basically become a vegetable and, as important, his wife had to go through hell.
It's been documented time and time again that the last year of one's life, if it is a year of constant medical needs, is a very costly year in dollars and cents. Yet, some in the medical field have been able to convince Congress that Medicare - i.e., us - should pay for all sorts of life-extending procedures (again, without defining what is meant by 'life'). Researchers estimate that 20-30% of Medicare's $510 billion budget goes for unnecessary tests and procedures.
Of course, it's easy to know what to do when you have all your wits about you and are not in the position of having to make a decision to end your life. I hope that I and/or my family find the courage to make the right decision when the time comes.
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