- How & where do you want to die?
- How do most people in America die?
- How is death removed from us?
- What is a good death?
- How could death transform our living?
- What’s the relation of technology to issues in medical ethics?
- What support is necessary for someone to die at home?
- How would you determine what is “appropriate care”?
- Describe suffering (to you).
- What constitutes quality of life for you?
- What does it mean to “dehumanize death”?
- What does it mean to say that “death is natural”?
- What should get the attention—the illness or the person. Explain.
- What is hospice? Is pain good? What is the value of pain? Of pain control?
- Hospice lets the patient be in control. Is that different from standard medical treatment? How? Should it be different?
- What is physician-assisted suicide (PSA)? Should it be legal? Is it legal? Where? Under what conditions? What are the arguments against PSA?
- What is the job/duty/calling of a physician? Does PSA fit in there? Other health professionals?
- Do people have a right to die? (Note that if so there is some kind of corresponding obligation on the part of others).
- Do you have an obligation to care for a family member who is dying? At what cost to yourself?
- What impact do financial pressures have on caring for someone who can't care for himself?
- What is the Americans with Disabilities Act? What is the Family Leave Act? How are these relevant to the debate about PSA?
- Isn't control over the way one dies and important exercise of autonomy? What arguments are there against allowing the free exercise of autonomy?
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Death & Dying: Frontline video on end of life
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As far as how and where i want to die i am unsure of. I do know that i want to die at an old age preferably in the comfort of my home in my sleep. To me this is a peaceful way of ending a long and hopefully good life a kind of way of god taking. The thought of how and where kind of excludes the when and so if it had to be at any time i would hope that i would die doing either something that i love or protecting someone that i love. The thought as also brought me back to an old song that i remember saying that we leave the world the way we come in, kicking and screaming. To me this hold true because not many people want their life to end they want it to last as long as possible.
ReplyDeleteA good death to me is something slightly different. A good death is one that is relatively painless and peaceful where the person can sit back and say that they were proud of the accomplishments of there life and that they have minimal to no regrets.
Death can transform the our living several different ways. It effects how we live because we are more careful in what we do because most are fearful of death and that stops them from some activities. death can transform us because witnessing or knowing someone who dies makes it more real and can also make you think back on the things you have done and the things that you want to do with your life and hopefully work harder to reach those goals so that you can say that you did all you wanted to do in the end.
The relation of technology to issues in medical ethics is that there is some technology that can keep someone alive almost indefiently by breathing for them and so on the issue comes in as to wether it is ethical to do that when there is no quality of life and the issue also lies that taking them off and "ending" there life is an ethical issue. does the person want to be taken off the technology or did they even want to be on it in the first place so there are many ethical issues that lie in the advancement of technology.
This increase in technology brings up what the definition of quality of life is. to me quality of life is being able to understand my love ones and be able to be active. that is not saying that if i lost the ability to walk i would have no quality of life because you can still interact with family and friends and have a 'purpose' however i do not think there is a quality in life if you are in a hospital bed with a need for constant medical care and have no chance of leaving.
1. I would like to die a very peaceful death in the comfort of my own home. The best circumstance would be to die in my sleep. After watching my grandpa suffer a painful death in the hospital while gasping for air, I hoped that my own death would not be like his. I do not want my family to have to see me suffer or to suffer myself.
ReplyDelete2. Most Americans die in the hospital just like my grandpa did. This fact from the movie was not surprising to me at all. Every family member of mine has died in a hospital bed, not in the comfort of their own home.
3. To me, a good death is one that is peaceful. Your family does not have to watch you suffer during a good death. This causes less heartache when you are gone if they do not watch you die a painful death. Also, during a good death, you do not feel any pain. You simply leave the world in your sleep after living a long and fulfilling life.
4. Dehumanizing death is done all over our world all of the time. My grandpa's death was dehumanized. He was kept on machines when he should have been gone long before he passed away. By dehumanizing death, we keep people on machines and prolong the natural process which should and will occur. Families and doctors try to hold onto something which should already be gone. Death is a natural part of human life which we now manipulate.
5. Humans have a right to die. It is a natural process which we will all experience. This also means that families and physicians must let this natural process occur. In keeping humans on life support, sometimes we are taking away their right to die. Often by keeping them alive, you are taking away their right to a good death.
ReplyDelete1. How & where do you want to die?
ReplyDeleteWhen I die I want to be surrounded by my loved ones. I do not really care about the location, but I would love to not be in the hospital hooked up to a bunch of machines. I think if I am surrounded by my family I will be less scared and it will give them a chance to tell me goodbye and have closure when I am gone. I don't really know how I want to die, but obviously I would like it to be the most painless way possible.
2. How is death removed from us?
I think people are afraid to talk about the topic of death because of the heartache that comes with it. In order to spare other people's feelings, we do not talk about death until we have to. However, I think if we talk about it now it will make it easier when the time comes. Death doesn't always have to be this awful thing, but it is an opportunity to celebrate the life that someone once had.
3. What is a good death?
I think a good death is one that has been accepted by the person who is experiencing it. Some people just do not want to let go of the lives that they have and it make it very difficult for them to die, which is sometimes the best option. I think accepting the circumstances and making the most of the situation makes out for a "good death."
4. How could death transform our living?
There are many ways that our living is transformed as a result of death. When we see others die, it helps us to realize that the time we have is always limited. Even knowing that death is near can completely change our view of life. Many people are completely transformed by these experiences and begin to live the life they have always wanted to live. It can also have the opposite effect and make a person give up on their lives as they await their final day.
5. What constitutes quality of life for you?
Quality of life to me means that you are living a life with purpose. I do not want to be put on machines in order to live for another 4 years. To me there is not point and I would just rather be in peace and die. Quality of life means that you are able to have meaningful time still in you life, which is really the main purpose of living.
1. How and where do you want to die?
ReplyDeleteThis video only solidified the fact that I do not want to die in a hospital on any life-sustaining machine. If death is upon me, I would prefer that it come naturally and not be pushed back with new technology. As most people have noted, the ideal death (if there is such a thing) would be painless, in my sleep, in the comfort of my own home, after having said goodbye to all of my loved ones.
2. How do most people in America die?
As stated in the video, most Americans do actually die in hospitals. I think this is unfortunate for most people seeing as their last memories would have probably been more pleasant if they were in their own home. With the advance in medical technology, people have become obsessed with trying to find a way to fix everything, which shows in the amount of failed attempts that end in the hospital.
3. What does it mean to say that "death is natural"?
Death is "natural" when there are no foreign objects inside or entering the body. This includes high doses of medicine (especially pain killers), machines to facilitate bodily functions, or basically anything that is uncommon to someone who is 100% healthy.
4. What should get the attention—the illness or the person. Explain.
The person should get the attention because it is the person who decides how the illness is going to affect his/her body. If a person chooses to let the illness take a natural course of action, then the people around that person must respect his/her desires. If the attention is placed on the illness, it is only a short amount of time before the person is lost in action. By lost, I don't necessarily mean literally dead, but that could also be a possibility.
5. What’s the relation of technology to issues in medical ethics?
While technology is a wonderful thing in medicine, it is also extremely detrimental. Physicians now have the ability to do so much for the ill that it can sometimes cross the line between helpful and harmful. As many of the doctors in the film stated, there were situations where they had regretted taking technology to such great measures and felt that those measures had unfortunately caused the patient even greater pain.
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ReplyDeleteThinking about dying is difficult. Every case is very different. Everyone is entitled to die in the way they want. And in order to have a shot at dying the way you want, you have to be sure your family and you physician know what you want. Talk to them. Have a Living Will. Be sure they know you don't want useless,heroic measures taken.
DeleteBeing terminal in a hospital is usually a bad idea. Hospitals are for getting people well. That's the mindset of every body there. So they want to do everything possible to save you. So there is endless testing and in the end, hooking you up to machines to keep you alive. That's what happens, unless you (or your Next of Kin) tells them different. ICUs must be a terrible place to die.
If you're terminal, a better place to die is Hospice. They stop all medicine and procedures to "cure" you and concentrate on keeping you comfortable (pain free). Hospice care can be in a hospital (although not usually), at their in patient unit or at your home. It provides dignified death surrounded with family rather than machines and technology. They just keep an eye on you and let you die naturally. It's not nearly so scary that way.
I want to start by saying that this video was very difficult to watch (as stated above, death is difficult to think about, see, accept). The topics and situations covered in this video seemed all too familiar to me as I recently had to deal with this with the passing of my grandma this April. We had to deal with the death vs. miserable life and the suffering vs. odds of living in the long run decisions that left us (me) distraught. These decisions are very hard to make and to hear the consequences of each decision is even harder. With that said:
ReplyDelete1. How and where do I want to die? - well selfishly, I would like to say that I will die after a great life with family, friends, and with a reputation of being a great person on a vacation doing something crazy (like snowboarding, hiking, flying a plane ...etc) in a different country or interesting place. I guess I would prefer to die of a heart attack or something sudden while participating in one of these events and avoid a hospital and decisions of life quality and suffering altogether. More than anything though, I don't want to be a burden on my family and have them see me suffer at the end. I am not sure that it is more selfish to want that or to want to die with all of my family and friends around watching me suffer, but I prefer the former.
2. What is a good death? - I don't think that there is such thing as a "good death". I think there are ways of dying that are more preferable than others. I think that the best way to die is suddenly after a long and happy life on good terms with everyone that you love in the comfort of your own home or while out completing something that you have always wanted to do.
3. How can death transform our living? - There are many ways that death can transform our living (for the good and for the bad I guess). One can live in constant fear of death, living inside a "bubble" and refusing to do anything that could cause potential harm. One can live knowing that life is short or that death could be near, living life to the fullest with no regrets. Also, the death of a loved one could change a person, making them realize that it is important to live and love the life that we have and to cherish the relationships that we have with others.
4. What constitutes quality of life for me? - I would say that quality of life worth living for requires a semi-healthy brain with the capacity to love and acknowledge others, family and friends that care about me, and potential for a life outside of a hospital (no need to live in the hospital to receive care from an excess of machines).
5. What does it mean to say that death is natural? - To me, natural death is just a nicer way of saying that the person died at a relatively old age (above 85 or 90) of organ failure. Natural death usually doesn't involve cancer regardless of the age. Natural death seems to me to have a tendency to be a person of really old age dying in their sleep (usually of organ failure).
1. How & where do you want to die? I would like to die in my home without pain and with good relationships with all my family and friends. I don't want to be kept alive by machines in a hospital and force my close family to make decisions for me that are a matter of my living or dying.
ReplyDelete2. What is a good death? I feel that a good death would be pain free, having good relationships with all my friends and family, having accomplished all my life goals, and not spending time sick or in the hospital. These are the things that I want most before my death.
3. Describe suffering (to you). To me suffering is being in pain for a long period of time, being locked in a room unable to leave, like a hospital, or having to see the people you love in your life go through any of these things.
4. What constitutes quality of life for you? For me, quality of life is pretty much my ability to do the things I want to do and my body's ability to perform physical activities that are crucial to my happiness. It also involves my mental capacity to acknowledge and relate to the ones I love.
5. What should get the attention—the illness or the person. Explain. I feel that the patient should get the attention. The point of healthcare is to keep the quality of life as high as possible for the patient, not cure their illness. If a doctor focuses on curing the illness but in doing so they are causing the patient pain, I feel it is not necessary. I would rather be dead than in pain.
1. Do people have a right to die? (Note that if so there is some kind of corresponding obligation on the part of others). I believe that people do have the right to die. This includes a medically induced death, but not by one's own hand. When considering one's right to die, the sanity of the individual and circumstance of the reasoning for death must be considered. A full psychological evaluation should be performed as well as the establishment that the individual suffers from a terminal illness, or severely diminished quality of life. Testimony from family should be taken into consideration when making the decision to terminate life.
ReplyDelete2. What should get the attention—the illness or the person. Explain. The person should get the attention in the case of a disease or disability. The best medical practice provided is a holistic quality care. This entails treating not only the illness but also the person. For example an individual in physical distress might also suffer from spiritual distress as a result. This should be factored into their care. Treating only the illness dehumanizes the patient and places an emphasis only on physical well-being.
3. How is death removed from us? In our culture death is considered to be a foreign part of life. We are distanced from it and taught that it is something to be feared. This idea that death is not a standard part of life could not be farther from the truth. Death is simply the end of the continuum of life. Life is a cycle with clear beginning, middle, and end points. It is something to be expected, not distanced from everyday life. Once death is accepted as a part of life, we are better able to understand and deal with loss.
4. What does it mean to say that “death is natural”? To say that death is natural means that the death resulted from a biological condition not caused by artificial means (car accident, murder) nor that the life was prolonged by by artificial means (ventilator, dialysis).
5. What does it mean to “dehumanize death”? To dehumanize death means to delay death using artificial means, thereby removing the natural dying process. For example, use of dialysis for patients with end stage renal disease prolongs the life of the patient despite the fact that the patient would have naturally died as a result of the buildup of uric acid in the body. I do not believe that artificial means of sustaining life should used in cases where the quality of life is not improved as a result.
1. I think that what is defined as a "good death" varies among people. However, I think that a good death is one in which the person is comfortable and surrounded by loved ones. They are not in any pain or discomfort and are satisfied when they reflect back on their life. They have no regrets and know that everything is settled when they pass on (family members are on good terms and any assets are being given to whom the person wishes). Another way to think about a good death to some people could be dying for your country or for a family member.
ReplyDelete2. Quality of life is important to consider in situations where a person could be on a ventilator for the rest of his or her life for example. Once again, how this is defined depends on the person. For me this means not being in pain or suffering. It is also being able to breathe on my own. I would probably say being able to walk again eventually is part of this as well.
3. I believe that the person and the illness should get the attention, but the person should have a bit more. I believe that it is up to the individual to decide if he or she would like a certain treatment or procedure performed. Their wishes should come first, even if the doctor does not believe that it is in the best interest of the patient. This should definitely be expressed to the patient multiple times, but in the end, it is the patient's decision. The doctor can assign the patient to a different doctor if they have different views.
4. The financial pressures can be huge on a person who is caring for someone who can not care for themselves. They may feel obligated to do everything they can for the person. They could provide everything they possibly can for that person and even neglect themselves because they are so focused on that person. Financially, this could lead them to be in trouble. Or, they may feel like that task placed on them is too strenuous and can purposely make poor decisions for the person who can not take care of themselves. This would be the worst scenario. Because the person who is not capable of doing things is a burden on the one who must take care of them, there could be morally unacceptable behavior.
5. The support necessary for someone to die at home is very important. The person needs to feel comforted and that everything they are leaving behind will be taken care of. All their belongings will be distributed to those that the person wishes and the family will not fall apart after they die. The person needs to have people to love him or her surround them and letting them know that they will be missed, but everyone will be okay. There must be a calming sense so that the person can let go in peace.
1.How and where do you want to die?
ReplyDeleteI want to die in my sleep or a fast unknowing death. I want it to be peaceful and calm. I do not want to feel any pain and I don’t want to be uncomfortable.
2.How do most people in America die?
As the video stated, most people in America die in the hospital.
3.What is a good death?
A good death is one in which the person does not feel pain and is comfortable. A person who can look back on their lives and feel that they lived a full and enriched life and are ready to die. Be ready to die doesn’t mean they want to die, but they have accepted the fact that everyone dies and they are satisfied with the life they have lived.
4.Describe suffering (to you)
Suffering is when someone is in pain and uncomfortable. Suffering is when someone is incapable of doing what he or she want and feel helpless.
5.How could death transform our living?
If a person knows they are going to die they may change the life they live. Some may choose to live a better more fulfilling life or some might go into a state of depression. A big question is would you want to know when you are going to die? You have to think about it, for me I don’t think I would want to know. I want to try to live my life to the fullest everyday and not worry about death or when it’s going to happen.
1. I want to die peacefully in my sleep. I want my friends and family to remember me the way I was at my best, not as a declining patient in a hospital bed.
Delete2. Most people in America die in a hospital.
3. A good death is one in which the person is surrounded by loved ones, and is happy with the person they have become and everything they have accomplished. It does not involve suffering, or months of staying in a hospital bed.
4. Suffering, in my opinion, is not only pain and discomfort. It i also looking back on your life and not being proud of the person you have become or the things you have accomplished, while also knowing you are out of time to change it. It is lying in a hospital bed, not able to talk to your family or hug your friends, but being able to see all of them grieving over your imminent death.
5. I have always said I would not want to know if I was going to die. I feel like if I did, I would not be myself. Although I would want everyone to know how much they mean to me before I die, I would hope that they know that already based off of my actions every day. Not all people feel this way. Some would rather know so they can spend all their money or whatever the circumstance. To me, I would be depressed, constantly crying, knowing that I was leaving everyone I love. For me, I am already where I want to be as far as my faith goes, and I am content with they way I show my loved ones that I care, so if I was going to die, I would want to do so as myself, not as a crying, worrying version of myself.
How & where do you want to die?
ReplyDelete-I would like to die peacefully in my sleep, surrounded by family at home. A very peaceful and painless environment and experience. I would love to have as much closure as I can with family and friends.
How do most people in America die?
-Most people in America dies in hospitals.
What is a good death?
-A good death is a painless and peaceful one. The person is comfortable and has had closure with family and friends. Their last days are filled with love and respect.
How would you determine what is “appropriate care”?
-Appropriate care starts with basic human respect. The dying is respected mentally, physically and emotionally. They are comfortable and pain free.
Describe suffering (to you).
-Suffering to me is pain, whether it is mental, physical or emotional.