Another “quick takes” on items where there is too little to say to make a complete article, but is still important enough to comment on.
The focus this time: Eradicating dementia and other mental problems is easy if you there aren’t any dementia patients left alive.
First, a little mood music:
Carrying on…
Apparently there is a surefire way to stop the suffering of dementia: Kill the patient.
“But averting late-stage dementia is difficult to accomplish under U.S. laws and policies. Four well-established end-of-life options include: (1) traditional advance directives, (2) voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED), (3) medical aid in dying (MAID) in Switzerland, and (4) inert gas asphyxiation. These four options work for patients dying from cancer, heart disease, stroke, or COPD. But they remain a clumsy fit for patients with dementia. These options suffer significant limitations in achieving the goals of patients seeking to avoid living into late-stage dementia.
“Therefore, we must expand right to die options. Under settled legal and bioethical principles of anti-paternalism and informed consent, laws should permit adults with capacity to end their lives under conditions that they determine intolerable. The primary objective of this Chapter is to outline and describe seven additional end-of-life options. These alternatives are not yet widely recognized or understood.”
Sometimes all it takes to kill someone with dementia is the family say so.
“‘Mrs. 6F’s expression of a wish to die was interpreted by a family member as a potential request for MAID.’
“After a discussion with a MAID provider, however, Mrs. 6F chose to move into long-term care, and decided not to pursue an assisted death.
“Four months after her transition to long-term care, ‘a family member initiated a re-referral for MAID.’
“…
“MAID was scheduled for one week after two assessors determined Mrs. 6F met the eligibility criteria. ‘On the day of the provision, Mrs. 6F was reportedly overwhelmed by the presence of additional visitors,’ the committee said. The extra visitors were asked to leave “to ensure a calm environment.
“‘Final express consent was determined based on Mrs. 6F’s ability to repeat the consent question and via squeezing the provider’s hand.’
“While most committee members felt that Mrs. 6F ‘appeared to be able to communicate a choice (i.e. by agreeing or squeezing a hand)’ others said communication via repeating a question “is not an indication of understanding or appreciating a healthcare decision,” particularly without supporting documentation of a person’s cognitive capabilities and decision-making.”
Heck, even the family not wanting to kill of their loved ones will stop these killers from killing.
“Donna Duncan was in a car accident in 2020 and suffered a concussion; during Covid lockdowns, she had difficulty accessing care and her physical and mental health suffered. Alicia and her sister were told that their mother was scheduled for MAiD only two days before the appointment in October 2021. She had no terminal diagnosis other than depression.
“The sisters were horrified, but certain the law would intervene to help them save their mother. The police told them there was nothing they could do, but a provincial judge granted them a warrant for their mother’s arrest under the Mental Health Act. Donna was sectioned in the hospital psychiatric ward she once managed as a nurse. ‘I can’t explain to you how traumatic it is to be relieved that your mom is in a psychiatric unit,” Duncan said. ‘We thought at this point she would be safe, that she would be protected.’
“But forty-eight hours later, under the Canadian law, she was assessed again. And being a psychiatric nurse, she knew exactly the things to say to pass the assessments. Four hours later, we received a text message that my mom was dead, and her body had been taken to a crematorium. I have since been diagnosed with PTSD. My sister has been diagnosed with PTSD. And under the expansion of our law in 2027, this would qualify us for medical assistance in dying. That irony is also not lost on us.
“To date, the Fraser Health Authority has refused to release Donna’s MAiD assessment records. Her daughters are still seeking answers.”
TTFN.
