Comforting Truth About Alternatives To Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia

If ever you wanted to read a measured, sane, carefully considered piece about how palliative care can be powerfully used at the end of life, read this.

Quality of life and death

Dr Stanley C Macaden says dignity in death can be provided by good palliative care, which aims to restore the comfort of people affected by a terminal illness.

The night was long, but strangely bereft of anxiety and hopelessness. My sisters and I sat around my mother’s bed. After her second stroke we had watched a steady and progressive deterioration in her condition and now she was slipping away. There was a difference, however: Amma was at home with us, her pain was controlled and she was kept as comfortable as possible by following instructions of the palliative care team. Above all she was at peace with herself and her Maker. We had also shared a few beautiful moments and heartfelt sentiments with her. The dawn ushered in the first few rays of the sun through the window. We held her hand as she breathed her last...

Death is an inevitable reality for all. The only certain event after birth is death. We do our best to make birth a safe and good event. However, there is much to be desired in the way we die. According to medical ethics doctors have a dual responsibility: to preserve life and to relieve suffering. As a person approaches the end of life, relief of suffering is the more important of the two, especially as it becomes increasingly impossible to preserve life. more