Generally, I would be in agreement with you, that voluntary euthanasia should be available to those who truly believe they want to die, and there are genuine medical grounds for this.
However, this case is not such an instance, I believe. These were vulnerable elderly people who were in a difficult position that would surely have affected their judgement. The woman was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease which would have rendered her incapable of making such a decision in full cognition of what was being proposed. The husband was clearly behaving irrationally, and notwithstanding that, the situation was resolvable without recourse to ending life.
The care home was deeply at fault for their actions and should have contacted Social Services. SS should have fulfilled their duty of care to this couple and had that happened, I am quite sure the husband would not have wanted to end his wife's life.
What was needed in this case was not assisted suicide. What was needed was care, compassion and adequate resources to enable this couple to live the remainder of their lives in dignity.
I believe that assisted suicide is an option that should be open to sufferers in certain circumstances, but not when a resolution to what ails them is available. It should be a last resort when all other options have been tried and failed, and when the individual concerned makes a knowing and fully informed decision.
Though didn't they make a pact years before promising each other not to let the other go through the indignity of dementia?
I think it's easy to look at this case, and say that other solutions could have been found, through care and compassion etc, but maybe none of those would have been enough.
I think for most people having Alzheimers would be the end of the life as they know it anyway, (it was for my Nan), and who knows what this couple suffered before he decided on this course of action.....
They'd spent over fifty years together, so maybe they thought, that enough was enough, and the few more years they may or may not have together wouldn't be worth having if that was the life they could only look forward to....
I am utterly and absolutely not amazed. Working in the sector for 10 years has given me a somewhat tainted view of the people who run care services (not the carers themselves). It's ironic, but "uncaring" is a staple characteristic of them. In my experience they tend to be ruthless and cold, like most business owners and managers, but a little bit worse!
My sister worked for about 9 years in that industry, she said the management didnt give a rats arse about anything other than money, her hours were brutal and they were always finding ways to not pay people. She left a job she had to get an education for, and now works as a tesco delivery driver (huge tesco over the road) and she said its the best thing she ever did. Its a shame but more and more people are leaving it because the working conditions are awful. Same on the patients side of things, and the wrongs always end up at the same place, the business end of things.
Did anyone else watch the documentary on dementia about a month ago, ch4 , I think?
It was set in a care home and the manager started out by saying - 'The people here, have no idea who they are or where they are,tor what they are doing,they are experiencing a place in their past, where they want to be,rather than trying to bring them back to us, we work to join them where they are'
I found the programme really quite uplifting, I don't know if the way they work with patients is any better than any other way, but the people living there seemed relaxed and happy,the overall atmosphere was positive, but not in a sickly way.
Actually Claire Pratt is a qualified RGN and has been a nurse for many years. I know because I trained with her and know her personally. In this instance she made a bad call a wrong decision one which she admits she shouldn't have made. We all make bad decisions and sometimes these decisions can have awful consequences like this one has. Claire will have to live with that and unfortunately so will this poor couples family. It doesn't mean she runs her home badly or that she is not a caring person. The papers look for any excuse to vilify anyone they can and as someone else pointed out they use the most emotive language they can to make a bad situation worse.
When my FIL was in the late stages of dementia and his wife could no longer cope (he didn't know her and was lashing out) we had to find a specialist dementia care home, as most others wouldn't take him, due to the extra difficulties involved in looking after him.
Thankfully, he died after a few months (he was 90). He couldn't speak, couldn't feed himself, needed nappies and basically someone to assist him 24/7.
Comments
I think it's easy to look at this case, and say that other solutions could have been found, through care and compassion etc, but maybe none of those would have been enough.
I think for most people having Alzheimers would be the end of the life as they know it anyway, (it was for my Nan), and who knows what this couple suffered before he decided on this course of action.....
They'd spent over fifty years together, so maybe they thought, that enough was enough, and the few more years they may or may not have together wouldn't be worth having if that was the life they could only look forward to....
My sister worked for about 9 years in that industry, she said the management didnt give a rats arse about anything other than money, her hours were brutal and they were always finding ways to not pay people. She left a job she had to get an education for, and now works as a tesco delivery driver (huge tesco over the road) and she said its the best thing she ever did. Its a shame but more and more people are leaving it because the working conditions are awful. Same on the patients side of things, and the wrongs always end up at the same place, the business end of things.
It was set in a care home and the manager started out by saying - 'The people here, have no idea who they are or where they are,tor what they are doing,they are experiencing a place in their past, where they want to be,rather than trying to bring them back to us, we work to join them where they are'
I found the programme really quite uplifting, I don't know if the way they work with patients is any better than any other way, but the people living there seemed relaxed and happy,the overall atmosphere was positive, but not in a sickly way.
What is the story without the emotive language?
Thankfully, he died after a few months (he was 90). He couldn't speak, couldn't feed himself, needed nappies and basically someone to assist him 24/7.
Horrible illness.