[bluefirebrand]

I have conflicting feelings on it

On one hand, I had a similar experience with my grandfather. He eventually couldn't even remember to speak English, he reverted to his childhood language. When we translated, he thought I was a childhood friend of his, not his grandson. It was awful

But sometimes he would be so lucid and remember everything. It was so awful thinking that "he is still in there" the idea of him choosing to end it and not have those last few times to talk.. I dunno

During one of those lucid times was the most deep and important conversation I ever had with him. He understood what was happening and it gave him the freedom (courage?) to talk about things he'd never talked to me about before. It was so important to me as a young man, I cannot imagine if he had signed an end of life form and I never got to see that side of him before he passed

Selfish of me I know. But still. Maybe this really just highlights how important it is for people to really talk to one another when they are alive

[squigz]

> I have conflicting feelings on it

As ardent a supporter of assisted death as I am, I really don't think there's any other way to feel about it. You illustrate exactly why these types of choices will never be easy.

[bluefirebrand]

Yeah, to clarify I do support it. I think reducing suffering is a noble goal and allowing people to choose not to suffer needlessly is overall a good thing

But it definitely is not cut and dry and I can see why some people are extremely resistant to the idea

[tanewishly]

Where I currently live, terminally ill nearing their end often fall in a pattern of eating and drinking less and less, to the point of having nothing (not even water). This process of dying takes 1-2 weeks(!). Longer if some liquid is still imbibed.

This is a common ending of a terminally ill process and apparently seen as humane. Though I think if anyone treated their dog like that, we'd report them for animal abuse.

I don't have good answers to most questions surrounding this topic. But I'd like to get to a point where people are treated as humanely as their pets in their final period. And I can't even tell you the current practice isn't, just that it does not at all feel that way to me.

[squigz]

> Where I currently live, terminally ill nearing their end often fall in a pattern of eating and drinking less and less, to the point of having nothing (not even water). This process of dying takes 1-2 weeks(!). Longer if some liquid is still imbibed.

Even just getting to this point is usually a brutal period of pain. Then you have to die like that? It's frankly barbaric.