Ethics Blog 1: Right to Die
A few days ago, my childhood dog, Sandy, passed away. Less than a week before her death, the veterinarian recommended that we put her down because of the of pain she could start experiencing; however, despite his suggestion, our family did not choose to do so. At that point, she seemed very much alive and still played a huge part in our lives. Because she appeared to be “okay,” I guess we were not able to accept her real condition. As the days passed after her death, I began to wonder if we did the right thing by letting her live.
I have always been supportive of human euthanasia; but, in light of Sandy’s death, I began to see another side as to why some people want to extend a loved one’s life, even if life support is necessary. Through this entry, I am not trying to claim that a dog is equal to a human. I am merely trying to explain from my position how Sandy changed the way I view euthanasia in general. From her passing, I can see how people such as Dr. Ravenscroft and Randy Pausch can take stand against it, holding on to the belief that dying is suppose to be a natural part of life. Does this mean it is natural to be in excruciating pain right up until death, or that it is okay to be doped up on pills with no real grasp of what is actually happening? This is the part that causes me to become torn and not understanding which the worse of the two evils truly is. Several supporters of euthanasia claim that it allows one to have a final goodbye and also eases the stress upon the sick individual and his family members. Dr Kevorkian was a well known advocate of euthanasia, and I do agree with his claims that it offers a person suffering from a debilitating disease the option to maintain integrity and dignity at death.
By reviewing the opinions of these doctor’s opinions and my own, I believe that euthanasia should be allowed in every state, but only with strict regulations. I think that patients with debilitating disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s should have the option to receive euthanasia after reaching a certain stage of the illness. This stage would be time when a doctor determines there is no quality of life left for the patient. By doing this, I think it would eliminate those depressed by their illnesses and just wanting an easy escape. For patients dealing with such conditions as old age, cancer, or organ failure, I believe doctors should provide medicine for pain rather than euthanasia, provided that the pain is manageable. At my family’s request, our veterinarian did step back and let life handle itself, which allowed my Sandy a peaceful and natural death surrounded by those she loved. I think it’s important to remember in situations such as these that “one cannot win every game, but even those that are inevitable are still worth the fight.”
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Oetjen Reid: BLOG 1: What does LTC mean to you?
What does LTC mean to you?
When I read the phrase “Long Term Healthcare,” I usually am reminded of my great uncle Ed, mostly because he was the first really old person I knew as a child. Living to the ripe age of 82, he looked forward to the frequent visits of my family and me when we were in town. From this early childhood experience of seeing him in a full care nursing home and witnessing his constant longing to get out, I quickly formed an opinion of what long term care means to me. In my mind, I define LTC as a person living away from home and/or family and taking residence with at least fifty other elderly strangers in a sterile environment where 24 hour care can be provided. I can still picture the borderline insanity that some of the patients displayed at my uncle’s nursing home, such as mumbling loudly, talking to themselves, and having contradicting complaints, such as being hot one moment and freezing the next. It was almost enough to make me feel as if I was an uncaring person when I tried to ignore them as I passed by them on my visits. One other important detail that I learned from my family experience is that LTC has a huge price tag. It made me sad to know that a person often moves into an assisted facility trying to relieve the burden placed upon his family, but sometimes this move creates an unanticipated financial burden for his family with LTC's increasing cost and insurance’s decreasing coverage. By taking a few health service classes, I learned of the laws and regulations that have been passed to improve LTC, but it still does not erase my childhood opinions of LTC. After receiving this assignment, I discussed the topic with a family member to see if he, too, had the same view. He simply described his view by saying, “It is a shame that a person can work his entire life to get ahead and end up being alone without a dime to his name.”
When I read the phrase “Long Term Healthcare,” I usually am reminded of my great uncle Ed, mostly because he was the first really old person I knew as a child. Living to the ripe age of 82, he looked forward to the frequent visits of my family and me when we were in town. From this early childhood experience of seeing him in a full care nursing home and witnessing his constant longing to get out, I quickly formed an opinion of what long term care means to me. In my mind, I define LTC as a person living away from home and/or family and taking residence with at least fifty other elderly strangers in a sterile environment where 24 hour care can be provided. I can still picture the borderline insanity that some of the patients displayed at my uncle’s nursing home, such as mumbling loudly, talking to themselves, and having contradicting complaints, such as being hot one moment and freezing the next. It was almost enough to make me feel as if I was an uncaring person when I tried to ignore them as I passed by them on my visits. One other important detail that I learned from my family experience is that LTC has a huge price tag. It made me sad to know that a person often moves into an assisted facility trying to relieve the burden placed upon his family, but sometimes this move creates an unanticipated financial burden for his family with LTC's increasing cost and insurance’s decreasing coverage. By taking a few health service classes, I learned of the laws and regulations that have been passed to improve LTC, but it still does not erase my childhood opinions of LTC. After receiving this assignment, I discussed the topic with a family member to see if he, too, had the same view. He simply described his view by saying, “It is a shame that a person can work his entire life to get ahead and end up being alone without a dime to his name.”
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