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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Nurses and doctors see a lot of old people getting life-prolonging therapy that is not offering them quality of life. Families making decisions that they disagree with, etc, or people in under staffed nursing homes. So I think their default is to be conservative with an elderly patient, especially one with a progressive disease like Parkinson’s, Because they’ve seen a lot of older people living lives that don’t seem to them as worth living.

My mid-80’s dad has atypical Parkinson’s, and I really had to step in to get various issues treated seriously by doctors and nurses— Issues that I think they would’ve seen as urgent if he was a 45-year-old man.

The fact of the matter is, my father probably only has a few years of life left. But every single one of those days is very important to him. I think doctors and nurses look at him and see an old guy who’s very debilitated and doomed. But he loves his life and wants it to last long as possible. He can’t really advocate for himself, though. Certainly his primary care doctor was not equipped to take care of an extremely old person, and yet he has treated my dad for so many years that my dad is loyal to him, even though the doctor is not competent in geriatrics my view. The whole thing is very sad.

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One of my neighbors just got back from visiting her 80+ father who was suffering from dementia and had just undergone open heart surgery. The families choice but I’m not sure why they made it.

His much younger 2nd wife will be the one taking care of him I suppose. So it won’t be the burden if the kids.  And the surgeons, hospitals nursing home get the medicare money I guess. But such a waste of resources.

For anyone who’s seen dementia and dementia end of life up close though going from a quick and sudden heart attack would be my choice any day. 
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Second this that dementia is really such a cruel disease and seeing loved ones suffer through dementia/Alzheimer’s is so tough. My grandmother suffered for 10 years with Alzheimer’s and to not recognize anyone, to lose the ability to walk, to talk, to swallow, to lose your sense of reality and have hallucinations is really torture.[b] I just don’t understand how there isn’t more of a movement toward medical aid in dying. [/b]My uncle is now going through the same thing and so is my mother. I would rather they have a sudden heart attacks any day.

My cousins, my siblings and I are all United in that no extra medical care be provided to prolong their lives. It would be such a waste of resources, most likely cause more pain and suffering, and neither my mother or uncle wanted to live like this. [/quote]

“Medical aid in dying” = putting other people out of the sick person’s misery. [/quote]

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