Health
Related: About this forumEnd of life rethink 'is needed'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19634617More people are living longer
European countries need to rethink strategies for end of life care due to the ageing population, according to researchers in the Netherlands.
They said deaths from cancer and long-term diseases were a "considerable burden" on society and accounted for 42% of all deaths.
They warned that many would face pain, depression and anxiety before dying.
The findings were published in the medical journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.
tularetom
(23,664 posts)Cancer and long term diseases have always been a burden on society,
The only difference is we are now living long enough to contract these diseases at a higher rate because we're no longer dying at age 40 from communicable diseases.
southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)would like that option for me if the pain is so unbearable.
CanSocDem
(3,286 posts)...to start talking about "death panels" every time the efficacy of 'medical intervention' is brought up. It's another way of saying if the medical industry can't save you, you have no hope, so you would be doing the public a favour if you would 'remove yourself' from our books.
I have a problem with the medical system claiming sovereignty over life and death. Clearly it happens with or without their intervention.
But I also have a problem with the other side of the discussion that says, in essence, 'let God decide...' or in other words, "I am powerless...in the eyes of God AND the medical industry."
"With the right support, 73% of people with cancer would prefer to die at home. Currently only 27% are able to do so."
.
silverweb
(16,402 posts)Warpy
(110,900 posts)but a frank discussion over whether a person will have improved quality of life with either heroics or palliative care is definitely needed.
The irony now is that people who are educated enough to opt for palliative care often outlive the people who ruined the balance of their lives with heroics.
People over 80 especially need to evaluate this stuff carefully.
tularetom
(23,664 posts)We're both in our 70's and we know lots of people our age who spend literally hours each week in various medical offices dealing with ailments which in some cases they haven't even contracted yet. We know one individual who spent a ton of his own money getting treatment which extended his life by maybe 6 months.
And we've decided that living to keep doctor appointments is not the way either of us wants to go. We both feel that quality of life outweighs longevity.
I was proud of my mother, who was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 86 and refused all treatment except pain medication.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)It's not that I refuse all medical care by any means, but I want to be sure what they are selling is what I want beforehand, there are lots worse things than dying, we're all going to die.
Response to xchrom (Original post)
darkangel218 This message was self-deleted by its author.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)We remain hag-ridden by political and economic ghosts of the autocratic, ignorant, judgemental, greedy, and violent past,.