if someone tells me i have an early diagnosis of alzheimer's, i am going to want to understand, as accurately as i can, how much longer i will still have a good grasp of reality. and then i want to throw a party and say good-bye to people. then i want my family to gather around and say good-bye while i take the 'transition' pill. no pain, no suffering, no huge expenses, no autopsy. i DO NOT want to go through everything my dad has gone through. and that includes the part before he was moved to the assisted living facility.
i don't know if a person who knows they have alzheimer's can tell that their reality has changed. if i have that diagnosis, will i realize i can't remember stuff? will i realize i'm confused and making poor choices? will i remember i want to end my life rather than muddle on 'til i succumb naturally?
just so we all have the same understanding here, loved ones of mine, i do not want to live with alzheimer's in an assisted living unit. i want to say good-bye when i still know who everyone is. if there isn't a legal way to do that, we have to figure out how to do it the easiest, most painless way possible, and without getting anyone in trouble.
sure, oregon has a legal way for people to end their lives, but that is only if they have been certified to have 6 months left to live and have been examined by two different doctors.
the netherlands, belgium, and switzerland all allow ending of one's life, legally (without regard to condition or expectancy, as i understand), and they are not evil nations. we ought to be able to have that right as well.
i wonder if the baby boomers still have the same stuff they were made of back in the 60's -- they were changing the u.s. back then, are they going to be able to effect changes about a person's right-to-die now?
i'm feeling --
concerned
-- Deep Dive Corp -- Walker
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