My husband’s Parkinson’s (and probably Lewy-Body dementia) progressed exactly the same way as Casey Kasem’s.
Even with special inflating-deflating devices, bed sores are hard to control, because the person is unable to even shift his weight a fraction of an inch. The base of the spine is where my husband’s was the most difficult to manage.
What some of you may not know, or understand - with this illness, the autonomic nervous system slowly fails, and eventually begins to shut down. This means the bowel, bladder, digestive tract, etc. stop functioning.
At the end, my husband lost any desire to eat, and then to drink. He knew he was dying, and didn’t want to go back to the hospital. The sounds and unpredictability of that environment upset him.
His doctors suggested hospice, and they taught me all about the dying process. Feeding tubes would have made my husband worse, not better. They taught me how to keep his mouth moistened with special swabs when he refused to drink.
Very low doses of morphine, a dissolvable tablet placed inside his cheek, helped to relieve his muscular pain, and they taught me to recognize the signs of pain when he could no longer speak. He only got the little 10 mg. tabs when he needed them.
He died peacefully, without pain, and without tubes, etc.
Many of you do not understand that there are times when extreme measure will save or prolong lives, and when they will only torture a dying person.
But, I know you all mean well.
“He knew he was dying...”
You’re saying he had normal mental function?
Could he talk and communicate with you?
If so, that’s apnot anage related dementia.
I don’t disagree that you can euthanize a Parkinson patient relatively painlessly with use of opiates (although how painlessly we can’t know).
But your claim of torture when treating people rather than killing them is irresponsible and hubristic.
Yes,I completely agree. I hope to be excused on this thread for a bit of a ramble. It was only yesterday that I glanced at the local paper up in Ontario, Canada. I just sloughed off a column titled.
Make end-of-life decisions while you still can
I take the liberty of quoting a paragraph. "But unconscious patients, or those with Alzheimer's or dementia, can present difficult issues for families and health care providers with regard to consent to medical treatment". Much detail is provided about the ramifications of complicated legal actions and so on. This of course, must be of great stress to all concerned. Not to speak of the legal costs. A specific case was also written about in depth. (Alan Shanoff. The Sault Star (Sault Ste Marie).
Ok. Your post had me hike out the section from the recycle box. I have read it over as it deserves to be read. I am 82 years old and my wife is 76 years. We both seem to be "with it" except for some memory lapses. I admire your compassion and careful thought. I understand also anyone that will rebut your decision.
I looked across at my wife and informed her of what we must do. We HAVE to talk, I said. Thanks to what you have posted.
So very sorry for your loss... I feel for cry when I think of those I love who have passed. There is nothing that can be done but to make them as comfortable as possible. I must say I was in complete denial when my Grandfather was in hospice dying. He begged me to get him out of there and I was convinced my Aunt did not do the right thing. Actually she did.... the only difference was I ordered the nurse to give him something for pain (she did not as she was convinced these places would just feed him drugs and take his conscious end moments away). She was pretty pissed off at me... but it did ease his pain... After he went through the anxiety night he was peaceful after that and did not speak to anyone except my husband... he always laughed at his bad jokes ; )... He passed away with all of his family who could be there around him. It was amazingly peaceful. My daughter was there...she was 12 years old...it was a life affirming experience for her..she is 30 now.