We heed the freedom to decide when we want our lives to end, before we get to the point where we cannot decide. And yes I have advanced directive, living will, POA etc etc but what is the poin, none of that comes into play until we are at the point where we are a vegetable. It is disgusting what the medical profession puts us through all because they do not want families to sue them. We as a society have to get to the point where we let people go, and stop trying to hang on to our loved ones as long as possible. It is pointless.
About two weeks ago I had my mother's hospice nurse discontinue all her medications. We haven't been trying to keep her alive, but she was on medications to regulate her heart rate, to fight gout and the associated pain, and medications to help her sleep. I started reading a book called "Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End," by Atul Gawande, and the next day I asked the nurse "Are we doing TOO much?" That's when she said to me, "Well, I've been wanting to talk to you about that."
HUH? Why didn't they talk to me about it sooner? My mother has been on a glacially slow decline for the past 7 1/2 months, and instead of declining the rest of the way from when we put her on hospice, she actually improved because she was receiving such great care. No medications have been added other than the gout meds, because she developed that from drinking nothing but Ensure for the past several months, but we didn't remove the other medications because we didn't want to trigger a stroke and make her existence worse while still alive. It's like walking a tightrope trying to figure out what was the best treatment and what to withhold, but we've finally reached a point where the medications aren't being metabolized any longer, so it's easy to stop them now.
I highly recommend that book, "Being Mortal." It's excellent, and it's made me really think long and hard about any medical intervention I might need in the future. No one wants to die, but honestly, when we develop a heart issue or cancer, isn't our body trying to tell us something? Why don't we listen?