https://www.westernstandard.news/news/woman-given-maid-against-her-will-because-her-husband-had-caregiver-burnout/70631
CALGARY — A woman in her 80s was euthanized through Canada's medical assistance in dying program (MAiD) with the help of her elderly husband who was "experiencing caregiver burnout," and experts question whether it was coerced.
According to a report released by the Ontario MAiD Death Review Committee, a woman referred to as Mrs. B experienced complications after a coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Reported by the Daily Mail, she then opted for palliative care after going into a severe decline, and her husband began taking care of her.
While most MAiD patients have to wait weeks to receive it after being approved, Mrs. B was an exceptional case — within the span of one day, she was assessed, approved, and given MAiD.
This is how it happened — after Mrs. B had been discharged from palliative care and returned to her home, she later requested a MAiD assessment.
Her MAiD assessor noted she still preferred palliative care based on her personal and religious beliefs, and she "wanted to withdraw her request."
The next day, her husband took her to the emergency department because, according to the report, he was "struggling from caregiver burnout."
Despite this, Mrs. B was discharged and sent home.
Her husband had also requested placement in a hospice palliative care centre, but was also denied.
Mrs. B's spouse then contacted the provincial MAiD coordinator for an urgent assessment.
The new assessor ruled her eligible for MAiD, disregarding the concerns of the first practitioner, who questioned the new practitioner's urgency, the sudden shift in patient perspective, and the influence of caregiver burnout.
A number of the comments seem to be idealistic and probably come from perspectives who haven't yet had to care for the elderly in serious decline. I'm not advocating euthanasia.
I am saying, make sure you understand what caretaker burnout is before making a comment here. My wife and I are taking care of two older parents in full-blown dementia. No, we're not going to suddenly dump them as old baggage. They are instead in memory care with full assistance, and it's costing on average $8-9k each/month, yes per month, for that care. Fortunately, they made the right decisions and have coverage for it, which we now manage for them because they can't even remember to go to the bathroom correctly versus what happened 5 minutes ago. Most old people today and their spouses aren't so lucky (personally, I have no idea how my own care will be handled when I get that old).
Add in the fact there's a lot of lawyers and consultants out there trying to rip off old people for their retirement money and cash, and the insurers and care agencies wanting to spend as little as possible on those they already committed to, and it's a full-time job and half for a caretaker to deal with. Most have no formal training, much less financial training to deal with it.
So these issues are almost always not a simple, black and white matter. Again, I'm not advocating euthanasia. But don't be so quick to point out what's "right" before you've walked in a caretaker's shoes...
Isn't the issue here more that it was explicitly against the wishes of the person who was euthanized?
If the caregiver burns out, the caregiver can leave. But by what right can they tell the state that the person they were caring for should be euthanized against their own wishes?
Most familial caregivers can't just leave once they start. Aside from the personal and emotional obligation/connection/guilt, they would then be guilty of elder abuse via abandonment or worse just "walking away." An elder in decline isn't like an old microwave just you just leave in the garage when it no longer works...
I understand. But is caregiver burnout a legitimate reason to perform MAID against a person's wishes?
In my own personal opinion, probably not. I would suspect that particular situation was the worst one that person had to make as a spouse. I don't think I could do that to my own partner even if she was deep in dementia.
To me the tragedy here is that the person was denied palliative but not MAID, despite wanting palliative. But I suppose that is what happens when you have a government healthcare system. The bureaucrats decide what resources they're willing to spend on you
It's a confusing field, at least on the US side. What people think is palliative care can be multiple programs, depending which care system you are in. For instance, the VA side for veterans has multiple modes of care before true palliative status, and it operates like coverage but it's not insurance at all; it's direct service. On the HMO side, depending which plan you have, palliative may be a center with nurse-assistance or it may just be a bag of drugs and go home. Depends on your plan. The illusion of healthcare being there for an elder is really a very complex technical jungle at the time when their cognitive ability to understand bureacracy is the worst.
I feel for you and your wife. My MIL was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 52. I can attest that the next 16 years until she passed were emotionally unbearable. Much love
Thanks.
I haven't been there myself, but I've had friends in this situation. Most friends, actually, are currently dealing with one or both parents in serious cognitive or physical decline. Mostly cognitive, it seems like.
Pushing euthanasia - nope.
But with the number of people that absolutely cannot take care of themselves - and the many more that are coming, with boomers getting older - something will have to give. Perhaps it'll be people refusing medical treatment.
precisely.
Is euthanasia even the right word for this? If she changed her mind, wouldn't you say murder?
When the state steals its called taxes not theft.
When the state murders someone its not murder. Its whatever they say it is.
The state is a false god.
And Canada is particularly egregious, its medical system if you can call it that, is completely dysfunctional. Waiting times for surgery or cancer screening make the Soviet Union look efficient.
Correct.
And that's how they tried to do with the PLANdemic: eliminate old and disposable population.
The State protects you...
Probably should be done for more boomers.
The efficient number of murdered (MAiDed...?) boomers isn't zero.
Wtf is wrong with you.
More in-depth comment not being on the fly:
obvs the boomer class warfare is a little facetious. Re: the role of the elderly and keeping people along for no good reason, less so.
We've lost generational purpose in most of the West, especially and particularly under welfare states with individualistic provision of care. Without purpose and benefit to society, a lot of boomers are/will be like this: existing in a questionable state, with nobody to care for them, and no obvious purpose to fulfill.
Maintaining them alive costs resources: We spend the majority of healthcare spending in the last six months of (already pretty elderly) people's lives. The upside is very minor, very symbolic, and in this case (not knowing the exact deets of course) not at all.
plenty, but not this
:( bleak, must be a very awful situation
What the fxxk!
You can be killed without knowing it
You can if you have dementia.