Dealing with Death

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In the last two weeks we have discussed the challenges of care-giving and retaining dignity in end of life care, especially for those with intense care-giving trajectories like Alzheimer’s and Dementia. We have also considered in our reading the important issue of death, and planning for end of life care through advanced directives or for some going one step further in choosing when to die. There are a lot of opinions and beliefs around having the legal right to end our lives on our terms and most of the focus is on the effect of the decision on family and whether it is seriously considered. The Last Day of Her Life (Links to an external site.) article is a sensitive and thorough account of the decision to choose when to die, which provides the perspective of the elder who wants to choose to die on their terms.
Please read the article first, and then write your journal, reflecting on the following:
In your social sphere have you ever had to deal with death and/or the decision of choosing when to end a life? What were some of the challenges of that experience or making the decision? [For some the experience of euthanizing a pet can mirror similar experiences that occur when considering end of life decisions for a human life; so if you have not faced the death of a family member but understand the emotions and end of life decisions around a pet, feel free to share it instead or you can consider your thought processes if a member of your family was near the end of their life].
Does your culture or belief system form your views on death and end of life decisions? How so?
How has reading the account of Dr. Bem’s choice to end her life, affected your views on a human’s right to “die with dignity”?
Do you feel that Dr. Bem considered the consequences of her choice and the affect it would have on her family?
If a family member or close friend was afflicted with a debilitating condition or was suffering at the end of their life, would you be willing to support their decision to “die with dignity”? Why or why not?
https://www(dot)advisory(dot)com/en/daily-briefing/2015/05/15/why-one-woman-opted-to-end-her-life-before-succumbing-to-alzheimers

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Journal
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Understanding the realities of death is essential for anyone. It allows us to accept this inevitable part of our lives band In this article, I would like to reflect on the realities of death in relation to the article entitled How One Woman ‘Picked’ the Last Day of her life. This includes the effects of one’s passing to loved ones, families, and even healthcare professionals, among others. All in all, I believe that while death is inevitable, everyone still has the right to choose how we live our own lives.
Dealing with Death
One of the most painful things to deal with is a death of a loved one. Whether it be a family, friend, or peer, death leaves a lasting imprint within our own lives that could take a year to heal.
One of the experiences that I had in relation to this was the death of Mark, a close friend of mine. Mark and I grew up together in our hometown from children until middle school. We were practically best friends and did many things together during our times. Even when we moved out of our town, we still chatted about our lives and planned our supposed reunion back in 2020. However, as the pandemic struck, our planned reunion failed, and it was also the time when he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. He did not tell me, only until the time when he was about to die.
Personally, his death came to me quickly and painfully. He told me that he did not tell me because he knew that I was on my only vacation during that time and that he did not want me to risk myself traveling and thinking about him. After all, he believed that his disease could still be cured in time. However, only after his death when his sister told me that Mark was given the option to try a new kind of drug that has a slight chance of prolonging his life, although it would be costly and painful to endure his disease.
Although I personally chose to end Mark’s life, his sister’s story told me everything that happened. It was only a few days after his death when I felt like even I would have been faced with the very difficult decision between asking him to try a ...

Updated on January 26, 2024

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Dealing with Death

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