Dying Film questions
v How do you want to die? Where do you want to die?
v What support is necessary for someone to die at home?
v How do most people in America die?
v What’s the relationship of technology to issues in medical ethics? Discuss the role of experimental treatments and the limits of technology in end-of-life care. What is futile care?
v How would you determine what is “appropriate care”? Is doing nothing ever appropriate? When?
The video that followed individuals to their death was hard for me to watch. I wouldn't like my death to be in the eye of the public for all to see. I feel that death is a very personal experience and can be a special time for a person if they feel that they have lived a full life and accomplished all of their goals. I want to die when I have accomplished the goals I have set out for myself after I have a family and grew to know them. I want to die in a location in which no one finds me unexpectedly so that the transition is easy on everyone and they can remember me in a positive light.
ReplyDeleteDying at home requires a great deal of money and support from people in the medical profession. Most people die in America die due to terminal diseases and complications within those sicknesses.
Technology is now capable of extending one's life for a number of years. The problem is that the quality of life is, most of the time, the issue at hand. Doctors can keep non-responsive and non-active individuals alive for a great deal of time but the individuals sometimes cannot communicate with the doctors meaning that the family makes life or death decisions for the individual. This process is expensive and can extend the life but the individual's quality of life is actually very low.
Appropriate care is a combination of ethical care and the desires of the person being cared for. Euthenasia is not appropriate care, even if desired by the patient. They may be under duress or any number of psychological states of mind and may not make the right decision or even the decision they would make in a clearer state of mind.
The video was hard to watch. It was something that I had never seen before and it followed people all the way to their death. I agree with waht Scott said and i think death should be a personal thing and I wouldn't want to share it with others like they did in the film. I want to be able to die peacefully and know that i made a difference in the world.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is almost overwhelming in how it can help you stay alive for as long as you want. The big argument though is when are you taking it to far. Is being hooked up to feeding tubes and other things like that really worth life and the suffering that comes with it.
Appropriate care for me is doing what is necesary for that person to live a suitable lifestyle. This is an opinion thing and what i think might be a a reasonable life others may not and vice versa. For me personally i would almost want to live as long as I could with a functioning brain and being able to know fully what is going on around me.
How do I want to die? I would want to leave this world in the presence of the people who loved me the most. I would want to die comfortably and peacefully. I can't imagine anyone would want to die in pain and alone, but this is the case more often than we think. That is why I think it is a great idea to talk to your loved ones about the plans you have for your death, or have a living will that makes your intentions very clear.
ReplyDeleteWith the technology and services that are available today, I would want to die in my own home under my own circumstances. Preferrably, in my sleep. In order to die at home due to some sort of illness, you would need the care and support of loved ones as well as a trained staff of medical professionals that handle the treatment or management of symptoms.
It was upsetting to hear in the film that most of Americans now die in the hospital, becasue I would not chooseto die this way if I had any choice in the matter.
Technological advances in end-of-life care strongly relate to major issues in medical ethics. I also took the course in Biomedical Ethics, and one of the most interesting topics was Physician Assisted Suicide(PAS). This is not legal in all of the the US. The idea of PAS is that a terminally ill patient may decide, with their doctor, to take a lethal dose of medication to end life. You can see where the ethical dilemma arises on this issue. Personally, if placed in this horrible situation, I don't think I would be brave enough to commit "suicide" to escape pain. I would be too afraid of the consequences that have been instilled in me religiously.
Futile care, as stated by Robert, is care that does nothing to cure symptoms or halt the onslaught of death.
I also believe that apropriate care depends soley on the ideas of the individual. What may seem appropriate to one person may not be appropriate for another. As Dr. Cate said in class, "This is not a class of answers, only questions." Doing nothing my be the best answer for one patient, but not another.
How do I want to die? I would like to die with my wife in my own home. I want to die in my Florida home with my wife at my side and in my sleep. I want it to be painless. I may not live to a ripe old age, but as long as it is next to my wife while I sleep, it will be the best way for me. I do not want to die young but if it is meant to be, it is meant to be. All I want is my death to be painless.
ReplyDeleteWatching this video really made me think about stuff. I am in school for speech therapy, and I recently observed at a rehab center and hospital in Washington DC. Many of the examples I saw in this video were things i saw in many people I observed with. Sometimes there is nothing more you can do.
ReplyDelete-How do I want to do die? I like most people would probably want to die happy, comfortably, in my sleep at old age. Obviously this isnt always the case and you cant determine anything. I believe if I were in this situation in the ICU, and there was nothing left that could help me, no chance of getting better or leaving the hospital, I would want to die in as much comfort as possible, surrounded with the support of my loved ones. If I were able I would want to give my goodbyes.
-To die at home, with hospice care, the biggest support I would need is my family.
-Most people in America die in hospitals in Intensive Care, as it was stated in the video.
-Technology has definitely helped millions of peoples lives, but technology can also only go so far. Technology has given us the power to keep someone alive, but not really. A person is able to breath, but there really is no brain activity, the person is almost lifeless. Technology has also costed billions of dollars in care, and that is when it comes down to making the decision for a sign off DNR.
- To me appropriate care is doing what is necessary to keep that persons health improving. Appropriate is also what the person wants, and I understand that can be conflicting. Doing everything you can to make this person better, doesnt always mean keeping them on life support.
After watching the video I felt really sad, but it made me reflect on my future. It made me think about how down the road I too could be in similar situations like the families shown in the video.
ReplyDelete-How do you want to die? Where do you want to die? I would want to die peacefully not in pain, preferably in my sleep.I would want to die in the care of my family, I would like to die in my home, but place doesn't really matter to much to me. If I was to die from a long term problem perhaps hospice would be an option.
-What support is necessary for someone to die at home? The love and care from ones family and medical care to ease any unbearable pain and suffering.
-How do most people in America die? As the video stated most Americans are dying in Intensive care units in hospitals.
-What’s the relationship of technology to issues in medical ethics? Discuss the role of experimental treatments and the limits of technology in end-of-life care. What is futile care? Technology has progressed leaps and bounds over the years to the point where doctors and families have to ask themselves important ethical questions on whether they are improving the persons quality of life. Today many people can be kept alive on machines for long periods of time when only 50 years ago people in similar situations couldn't be saved. Experimental technology can be good and bad. They can be good for people sometimes because the can treat a potentially rare problem. On the other hand, they can be expensive and have extremely low chances of success an potentially do more harm than good. Futile care is when the treatments no longer are improving the quality of life or shortening the life of someone.
-How would you determine what is “appropriate care”? Is doing nothing ever appropriate? When? Appropriate care is a difficult thing to decide. I think i changes from person to person. If someone wants to hold on to life who am I to refuse them care. If someone comes to terms with what they are experiencing and no longer want treatment that does little or nothing, then doing what you can to help them be prepared for whatever is to come is appropriate. Doing nothing could be appropriate if the person comes to terms with dying and treatment is no longer helping them. Theses are very hard decisions to make and the decisions can never easily be viewed as right or wrong when you put a human face on the problem.
I found several things quite interesting in the video. As stated, it would be ideal if everyone had discussed what they wanted when on life support, but very few people has had these conversations because death is a scary topic. Also, doctors don't want to impose their own morals, and it is scary to do nothing.
ReplyDeleteHow do I want to die? A peaceful death in the satisfactory that I have done all I can do with the time provided. Dying at home would also be ideal.
Most people die in hospitals or in intensive care units.
Technology is a great tool in the fact it can keep people alive, but to what extent are they living? If brain dead or unconscious, what is techonology doing?
To me appropriate care is what the patient would like, and if the patient is unable to respond then I feel like next of kin should be able to make an appropriate decision for appropriate care of the patient.
from Allison Long
ReplyDeleteFortunately in my life I have never had to deal with a dying family member, or anyone I know for that matter. Watching the video was very difficult at times and a little frustrating. It was sad to see those people suffer, knowing they would never get better. It was frustrating because I believe the family members were being very selfish in some cases. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to try and decide if a loved one should live or die, but at the same time, if they are just lying there while a machine breathes for them, they aren’t living in the first place. I know that if I was in that situation, I would not want to suffer anymore and I would not that to be the last memory of me to my family.
Jill Brunsman
ReplyDeleteAfter watching PBS Frontline's Facing Death, I got a better understanding of how hard it is to make an end of life decision for your family member or yourself. Watching some of these cases were really hard because at the beginning of the case some of the patients were alert and knew exactly what was going on and towards the end of the case one patient didn't even know what their wife's name was or one patient could barely talk. This movie reminded me exactly how the last couple of weeks for my grandma were. In the beginning she was alert and knew exactly what was going on, but toward the end she could barely keep her eyes open. I think that's why it's so hard to let people go, because one week they could be completely alert and happy, but the next their not even in existence anymore. I believe that's when you shouldn't put them through pain anymore, living through machines isn't living.
Coming from a large family, death is something that is pretty much inevitable. It never fails, we have a wedding or the birth of a baby and then find out short after that someone is deathly ill or doesn't have much longer. However, despite living through many family deaths, watching PBS Frontline's Facing Death was still a hard feat. When I was in 5th grade, a classmate of mine was diagnosed with bone cancer. It was something we all worked through together as a class. He received treatment from some of the best doctors in the world and even stayed for multiple week at St. Jude's Medical Research Center. However, none of the medical attention was enough to keep his leg from being amputated. He eventually passed away during the summer between 7th and 8th grade year. I know Chris went through many of the things talked about in this episode of Frontline because I was pretty close to him and his family. The only times he ever complained was after his two bone marrow transplants. I can't imagine ever personally going through this.
ReplyDeleteWatching this video brought to light the idea of many life and death decisions that I might need to make in the future for myself or for a close family member. Even though this is something I do not ever want to have to think about, I now realize that it is extremely important to talk with close family members about what should happen.
Just about every one I know would agree when I say that I would love to die of natural causes at home surrounded by my family and friends. I hope to live a long, happy, accomplished life. To be honest, if it wuld come to the point of making a decision whether or not to be on life support, I'm not sure I could make that decision. Nobody every wants to die, and I feel that by not going on life support, death becomes the only option available. On the other hand, nobody wants to live as a vegetable either. Are you really living when machines and technology are working as the body's internal organs?
Each person will have their own opinion about what should happen at the end of their life or the end of a loved one's life. No matter the person, however, it will ALWAYS be a hard call to make!!
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ReplyDeleteWhat a deep, heavy and intense video! There’s so much information to think about and process yet out of all of it the only two things that are concrete are life and death. It would be nice to think that death would be a relatively simple and clear cut process but it really isn’t. Every person and every situation is unique. The more advances we see in the medical industry, though they may provide some hope and time, at some point we are merely postponing the inevitable. I found it interesting how most everyone in the documentary had an extremely difficult time just plainly stating that death very well maybe next. It is such a simple word, yet there is so much that is attached to it. For a patient to accept death means that they are through fighting and are ready to give up. For a doctor or love one to say this could mean they are giving up on a patient who maybe still has the will to keep fighting. Admitting death is unimaginably difficult for every single party involved. At one point in the documentary a loved one frankly asks the doctor if death was next. The doctor could not answer, with a yes or no. For the doctor to say yes would be telling the family they have given up but you can’t give up until the family, the patient, is ready. We are living beings and I have to think that naturally our instinct is to do whatever it takes to keep living, even if it is temporary or gives us no guarantees. To give up, means that you have accepted death. A phrase that came up repeatedly was the “consideration to do nothing”. This is so powerful. It makes so much since logically and when you’re watching this as an outsider, but this would be so incredibly difficult if the situation were personal. Even if doing nothing really was the best solution, it would be so hard to accept. Furthermore to accept this would also mean that you are accepting death. How can you give up on life? Another term used frequently was “a good death”. This is another incredibly hard concept to accept. To think that you are no longer hoping to have life, that you have accepted things won’t get any better and that your last and final hope is to have a good death.
ReplyDeleteOne of the doctors commented on the new problems and issues being created by all of the new and incredible technological advances in the medical field. He said that it created broken survivors. There’s always something else that can be tried, even if it means repeating something that was previously unsuccessful. People go to the hospital with the expectation that they will be fixed.
The area between life and death is uncertainty. “Often patients go to the edge and don’t come back, but sometimes they do.” You can have endless conversations but perhaps you can never be fully prepared until the time actually comes.
What a heartbreaking film! It would be so difficult to watch a loved one suffer like the individuals in the video, knowing that there is nothing that you can do about it. Even worse is to know that they really aren't even living, and that the shell you are staring at is not experiencing life at all.
ReplyDeleteThinking about the actual act of death quite scares me, even though I know where I will be after I die. However, this video forced me to think about this point that I will reach in the future and how I want to spend my last moments. As many of the other students have mentioned, I would like my death to be quick and painless. I would prefer to be at home, sleeping in old age, happy with everything that I have accomplished and experienced in my life. However, I know this isn't always the case. If my life comes to an end before this point, I hope to be doing something that I love, just like my dad, who was serving another person (what he loved to do) by towing a car for them when he was killed.
The experiences of the individuals in the video dealing with a family death and my experience with my father’s death are so different for this very reason. My father’s death was completely unexpected. We even watched the helicopter fly over, having no idea that they were going to get my dad. But then the helicopter call was cancelled. When we got the phone call, I literally dropped to my knees in fear. That was the worst day of my life thus far, and the days ensuing weren’t much better. However, when I look at the misery that the families in the video went through, I can’t help but be somewhat thankful for the way my dad went. He was happy, and we were told that he was killed instantaneously, feeling no pain. What a blessing to know that he didn’t suffer and to not have to watch him struggle and die in a facility, as do 70% of Americans. I am so thankful that my last moments with him were moments of joy. He was killed the day after Christmas—the most wonderful time of the year, and I cherish so many memories from our last day together. My memory of him is vivid and timeless as he always was, not frail and broken.
I challenge you to ponder this—Though a shocking death may sound frightening, do you think it is easier in the long run for both the dying and their loved ones?
I had never even put any thought into any of the decisions that the people in the video had to make. I hope I never have to make a decision like that, for anyone or myself. I think that a big part in making the decision to let someone go is thinking about the live they lived. If someone is on machines they can no longer do the things they love. Is there a point for them to live anymore? Sure, it would be the hardest decision anyone would ever make, but would they rather watch them live in pain, or die and be able to do all the things they love again.
ReplyDeleteWhen people must be put on machines to live, I think this means it is their time to go and loved ones need to realize it as well.
The stories were deep and really can make anyone think about the what-ifs and their future. I have had no experience with making the type of decisions that were made and I have not been close to anyone who has had to make such choices. As for the film, it was very real and made me think some, but then I caught myself not wishing to think about the possibility of death and I wanted to avoid the subject. I guess that stems from my internal thinking to live one day at a time and make the most of any moment.
ReplyDeleteThe questions proposed for this writing are difficult.
-How do you want to die? Where do you want to die?
I honestly want what most people would want, I think. I would want it to be pain free and quick but well-planned for. I would like to be in a hospital so that my family does not have to remember my death being in a place which they often visit (like my home).
-What support is necessary for someone to die at home?
A good solid family is key. For this to happen, family needs to accept that the person will die. It will take much understanding on the family's part.
-How do most people in America die?
Most people die in institutions (i.e. hospitals)
-What’s the relationship of technology to issues in medical ethics? Discuss the role of experimental treatments and the limits of technology in end-of-life care. What is futile care?
So, keeping a person alive under the use if technology is highly debated since it is not a natural way to live. However, I feel as though it gives more chance at life and everyone should be offered the greatest chance at life possible. Certain actions to keep a person alive should be taken if requested. If life is not going to be possible, then the machines are a waste financially and the person shoiuld be let go into a peaceful end.
-How would you determine what is “appropriate care”? Is doing nothing ever appropriate? When?
I have no right to state what appropiate care is because it absolutely is opinionated for each person specific to their particular health situation. I see patients at work who are fighting cancer and they are taking immense measures to stay alive and then I remember my grandmother who was so tired of fighting her cancer that she just wanted to be able to live her last years as she pleased without the hassle of medication and radiation. I cannot say what I would want personally because I have not experienced having to make such a decision.
I would like to die of old age if at all possible. When I do pass away I would like to die with my family at home. I would like to be comfortable and hopefully come to terms with the reality of dying although that is unlikely.
ReplyDeleteIn order for somone to die at home they not only need the support of loved ones to be there so that they do not die alone but they need people to be around to make sure that you are taking good care of yourself and helping if you need it. My gradmother is 92 and insists on living alone so we make sure that she has company and is taking medications and things like that;however, she wants to live alone so that she still has her indipendence and that is a constant battle to make sure that she is feeling independent but is taking care of everything.
Most people in america die in hospitals or ICU care.
Technology today surpases that of our ethical code. we have the power to keep people alive although they can not talk interact with loved ones and are having most of their oragans supported through machienes. the problem with this is where do we stop the "treatment" and allow the natural corse of life to happen. Everyone should have the option of having extrodinary measures taken but they should also have the right to deny it as well. Futile care is in my opion when someone is haveing instraments "live" for them meaning functions their organs and there is no real hope of ever getting off the support.
Determining what is approprate care is difficult. It depends mostly on the specific stuation and their belif system. Doing nothing is at times approprate when all other optioins have been explored and when the patient has stated that they do not want anything done and familys need to remember that because it is up to the individual how they want to end their life.
Though it’s not something I typically think about, I would have to say that I would like to die in my sleep at my home. While my experience with my grandma in hospice care showed me that death can be peaceful and comfortable by way of caring people, a calm facility, and powerful painkilling drugs, I am not sure that I would personally want that much attention. Dying in my sleep at home has always been a peaceful idea to me because of its passive nature and the precept that very little pain or suffering is undergone in the midst of unconsciousness.
ReplyDeleteUnder the circumstance of terminal illness or forecasted death, in order for someone to die at home, there would need to be a healthcare professional to explain to family members what to expect in the dying process and to ensure comfort through use of medicines, as well as, exclusively family access.
Statistics show that half of all Americans die in hospitals, and that 7 out of 10 Americans die in some healthcare-related facility. Even while most surveyed Americans assert that they would prefer to die at home and would like to avoid extreme healthcare measures at the end of their lives, very few people actually die in the comfort of their own homes. Heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, accidents, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, the flu, pneumonia, kidney disease, and sepsis are chronologically the top ten reasons for Americans’ deaths.
Technology is related to medical ethics because more technology gives medical professionals more responsibility in sustaining life when it could have possibly already ended when issues crossed the point of natural irreversibility. Experimental treatments serve as “test runs” in seeing which end-of-life tactics can sustain life beyond existing matters; in order to measure effectiveness, however, such measures must be imposed on those who are most likely trying to achieve comfort as death nears during their final days. Is experimental treating ethical? Not according to my standards. The limits of technology in end-of-life care are the boundaries that govern what should be done to preserve comfort and limit pain at the end of a human beings’ life. One must seriously consider quality versus quantity in the situation of dying people. Futile care is the attention given to patients who are irreversibly dying and have little to no hope for improvement; because death is inevitable for these individuals, the focus turns to comfort. This is extremely ethical because it respects the patient’s dignity and gives relatives the reassurance of knowing there is no pain.
Appropriate care, therefore, is completely contingent on the state of the patient. If the patient’s situation leaves little to no hope for improvement and only painful and fruitless artificial life preserving, then doing nothing to sustain life is appropriate. Focusing on comfort and dignity is crucial at this point in peoples’ lives. If there is a chance for improvement, life support is useful, and appropriate care, or full and extraordinary measures, should be taken. The answers to such questions are almost wholly dependent—in most circumstances—on when exactly a patient dies, despite biological grounds…
Though it’s not something I typically think about, I would have to say that I would like to die in my sleep at my home. While my experience with my grandma in hospice care showed me that death can be peaceful and comfortable by way of caring people, a calm facility, and powerful painkilling drugs, I am not sure that I would personally want that much attention. Dying in my sleep at home has always been a peaceful idea to me because of its passive nature and the precept that very little pain or suffering is undergone in the midst of unconsciousness.
ReplyDeleteUnder the circumstance of terminal illness or forecasted death, in order for someone to die at home, there would need to be a healthcare professional to explain to family members what to expect in the dying process and to ensure comfort through use of medicines, as well as, exclusively family access.
Statistics show that half of all Americans die in hospitals, and that 7 out of 10 Americans die in some healthcare-related facility. Even while most surveyed Americans assert that they would prefer to die at home and would like to avoid extreme healthcare measures at the end of their lives, very few people actually die in the comfort of their own homes. Heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, accidents, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, the flu, pneumonia, kidney disease, and sepsis are chronologically the top ten reasons for Americans’ deaths.
Technology is related to medical ethics because more technology gives medical professionals more responsibility in sustaining life when it could have possibly already ended when issues crossed the point of natural irreversibility. Experimental treatments serve as “test runs” in seeing which end-of-life tactics can sustain life beyond existing matters; in order to measure effectiveness, however, such measures must be imposed on those who are most likely trying to achieve comfort as death nears during their final days. Is experimental treating ethical? Not according to my standards. The limits of technology in end-of-life care are the boundaries that govern what should be done to preserve comfort and limit pain at the end of a human beings’ life. One must seriously consider quality versus quantity in the situation of dying people. Futile care is the attention given to patients who are irreversibly dying and have little to no hope for improvement; because death is inevitable for these individuals, the focus turns to comfort. This is extremely ethical because it respects the patient’s dignity and gives relatives the reassurance of knowing there is no pain.
Appropriate care, therefore, is completely contingent on the state of the patient. If the patient’s situation leaves little to no hope for improvement and only painful and fruitless artificial life preserving, then doing nothing to sustain life is appropriate. Focusing on comfort and dignity is crucial at this point in peoples’ lives. If there is a chance for improvement, life support is useful, and appropriate care, or full and extraordinary measures, should be taken. The answers to such questions are almost wholly dependent—in most circumstances—on when exactly a patient dies, despite biological grounds…
If I was to die I would like to die in my sleep not even seeing it coming and with no pain. Of course that seems like asking for a lot with all of the different possibilities there are these days to die, but that is what I would want. There is even a show on TV that is all about strange or weird ways that people have died. I would want to die at home in bed. A hospital bed wouldn't be bad either, as long as I wasn't in pain and my family and friends were there too.
ReplyDeleteFor someone to die at home there must be a lot of support and love present. Because unless you do die in your sleep, you are most likely sick and your loved ones are taking care of you every step of the way. Their would have to not only be moral and physical support, but also monetary support as well. Depending on how long, how serious, or how much money a family has, taking care of someone can be very expensive. This would be even worse if the family could not afford health care or if they could not afford to take their dying loved one to the hospital. To die at home the support needed would be stressful and time consuming, but in the end it would probably still be worth it to those families that do this because at the person's final moments they would still be together.
Most people in America die in hospitals, instantly in an accident or incident (or rushed to intensive care due to an accident or incident). Either way it is in a hospital.
The reason that medical technology and ethics is a large debate is because or technology is so advanced that we are able to keep a human "alive" if their primary organs are barely working or not working at all. Who chooses what to do? How do the doctors or family members know what the patient wants if they can no longer communicate with the patient, or if they do know, if they should listen to them. Are they considered alive if they could not survive if they were not hooked up to a machine? All of these questions are of the ethical problems with medical technology. One thing that I realized with the video is even if they did disconnect a patient from using the med tech, the doctors told them that they would be in a lot of pain and that often enough in a short period of time they would be back to the same place they were before. If I were to choose what was considered life or death, it would be that if both the brain and heart no longer functioned then the person is dead, even if med tech is keeping them alive.
Appropriate care to me would be care, that maybe intensive, that has the possibility of bringing the patient back to a tolerable health range. Now the question is what is a tolerable health range? To me that would be where they are able to communicate in some form (e.g. speaking, sign language, or writing) and if their body could function effectively without the use of technology. Examples of inappropriate care would be keeping a patient hooked up to a machine while still knowing that they are not going to be able to recover from the condition that they are already in, or abortion/ euthanasia. The reason abortion/euthanasia are also not appropriate are because a living person is being killed and they have no say about it. The only time abortion could be appropriate in my eyes are if the pregnancy or birth of the child is killing the mother.
How do you want to die? Where do you want to die?
ReplyDelete- As unanimously stated among my classmates, I would want to die peacefully in my sleep. However Karlie's question: "Though a shocking death may sound frightening, do you think it is easier in the long run for both the dying and their loved ones?" really made me think. In my own opinion I think that a quick and unexpected death would be easier in some ways. In the case of my own death, I would not want to experience the suffering that often accompanies the end of life. More importantly, I would not want my family and friends to share in my suffering as I slowly passed. Furthermore, I would not want my loved ones to remember me in a state of prolonged death. However, I feel that an unexpected death would be more difficult. I would not have to opportunity to fully live out my life. Also, in such an event, I would not have to opportunity to say my goodbyes.
- I had originally thought that my home would be the best place for me to pass. However after giving this question a bit more thought, I have decided that a hospital or another institution would be my preferred place. I would not want my family to have a constant reminder of my passing by the place of my death.
What support is necessary for someone to die at home?
- A strong family is the most important necessity for someone to die at home. The family must be understanding and accepting of the imminent death. Also, proper medical assistance would be necessary to ensure the individual is in as little pain as possible.
How do most people in America die?
- As stated in the movie, today more Americans die in hospitals than anywhere else.
What’s the relationship of technology to issues in medical ethics? Discuss the role of experimental treatments and the limits of technology in end-of-life care. What is futile care?
- Today, a tremendous amount of technology is available to prolong life, but often these advances in medicine cannot cure the illness. Americans spend billions of dollars each year on end of life care. It is possible to keep an individual alive for years through respirators and other machines. This is where the ethical concerns take their roots. Is an individual truly living if they need machines to keep their vital organs functioning? Nearly 95% of patients in the intensive care unit cannot communicate. How does one know what their wishes are if the patient is not conscious?
How would you determine what is “appropriate care”? Is doing nothing ever appropriate? When?
- In my opinion "appropriate care" is determined by the patient's wishes. If an individual wants to go to any extreme to stay alive, then I believe the "appropriate care" would be to do so. In the case that a patient is unconscious and has not previously discussed their end of life wishes, I believe that the "appropriate care" would be decided by the patient's loved ones. As seen in the video, this often is an extremely difficult task for the family. However, it often necessary for these people to decide to what the patient's wishes would have been. Yes, I do believe that doing nothing is appropriate is certain circumstances. If that is the wish of the dying individual, then I believe that no further actions should be taken.
I want to die doing something exciting. I can see above that most people would like to die peacefully or even while asleep, but I don't think that's for me. I don't want to go to bed not knowing I am going to die and just drift of into nothing, I want to be snorkeling in the great barrier reef and wrestle a shark until it eats me or freeze to death on the summit of Mt. Everest. Unlike most people, death doesn't scare me right now. When I am about to die I want to know it so I can face it and go out the way I lived my life (however long it is), awesome. As a Biologist I have accepted death as a part of life and whether I die tomorrow or 50 years from now doesn't change that is going to happen.
ReplyDeleteIf you were going to die at home, I would think family family is important. At the end of life it would be comforting to remember the greatest impact you had on the planet while alive, which is those you are leaving behind.
The face that most Americans die in the hospital is a relatively sad statement, especially towards modern medicine. Modern medicine should be intended toward preventing death in cases it would not naturally occur. Saving a nine year old boy who was in a car accident is significantly different than keeping an old woman with terminal cancer alive for 2 more painful month because the family can't let go (sorry grandma).
As far as the role of technology in medicine and end of life care, I addressed this partly above but I will elaborate. There is a time for ever person to die and modern medicine playing God. I believe humankind is taking things a bit far when it comes saving lives and searching for cures, because we're selfish in a way. Somewhere in history people began to think of themselves above the planet itself (which God also created) and this disregard has led to a human expansion that some point will be unsustainable. Death needs to be re-accepted as a part of life. People need to stop being afraid, especially if one believes in a God who promised this death be the end. For people who believe there is a heaven, death should not be avoided but celebrated as the beginning of something better.
As far as determining when something is appropriate care, I believe the decision should be left solely to the individual. The decision cannot be left to the family because the opinion is biased by emotions. As Karl Menninger said "the voice of the intelligence is drowned out by the roar of fear." In the case of a person incapacitated to the point of being unable to decide, then that person probably shouldn't be alive anyways or for legal reasons the doctor should make a professional decision unbiased by the family.
I don't really care how I die.In the end, I'm dead, and it doesn't really matter. Especially since I believe in an eternal afterlife, whatever time I spend suffering while I die is going to be a drop in the bucket compared to what happens afterwards. Hopefully that eternity isn't spent in suffering in Hell. But even if it is, considering that it is eternity, will another few years or months or days that I spend suffering while I die really make that big of a difference to me? I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteI think that pulling or not pulling the plug on somebody on life support should involve the family, and should not be a doctor's decision. Ideally it should be the decision of the individual, but if that isn't possible,then the family should have the final say. They are the ones who are impacted by the death, and I think that in a lot of cases where the family waits "too long" to pull the plug, that that is just part of thier process for how they accept and deal with the death. It's not like the patient is going anywhere, and if it helps the family cope, then I don't see any harm done.
I like modern medicine. I don't see it as trying to play God. I view it as trying to live as long as possible and getting the most out of life. Look at all the procedures that we take for granted now, that a hundred years ago were complicated. I think that in another hundred years, we will have a whole new slew of topics that are considered playing God, while the things people are debating now will be considered standard procedure. Progress happens.
I'm not an expert on what is necessary to have in order to die at home. My grandfather lived with us for the last six months of his life and he died in my family's house. He have lived longer if he had been in a nursing home or a hospital, but he hated being in those places and preferred to live with us. That is kind of a case where "nothing" was done, but I am sure that he was happier dying sooner surrounded by people he knew, than living a little longer and dying in a strange place by himself. I think that it is sad that most Americans die in hospitals.