Lady Warnock, 84... could be she's lost it:
Quote:
|
"I feel there is a wider argument that if somebody absolutely, desperately wants to die because they are a burden to their family or the state, then I think they too should be allowed to die."
|
If a person with dementia doesn't know their own name most of the time, how the hell do they know whether they are being a burden on anyone?
Some cultures still respect the elderly. Of course those are usually the cultures where money is not the primary part of the equation.
My grandmother died a couple of years ago - death certificate said 'senile dementia'. She'd have hated that.
Right up until the end she had her salient moments. And she didn't want to die.
We knew that very clearly, so, although had she been in severe pain we would have agreed to 'helping her', as she was not in pain, we as a family, did all we could to help her feel comfortable.
This is a very personal thing for people with dementia and their families and should never be put on the political agenda.