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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.
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.
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.
precisely.
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...