GERO 14029 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Involuntary Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, Palliative Care
29 Apr 2016
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The good death: perspectives on death and dying. Living wills: allow health care providers to withhold or withdraw treatment if you become incapable of making decisions. Select treatment would accept or refuse if unable to communicate wishes: differ from state to state, durable power of attorney for health care, surrogate decision maker, often called proxy. Controversy: vague, difficult to interpret, unknown to healthcare providers, difficult to obtain, taboo topic, changes, surrogate is unavailable, advances in medical technology, change in diagnosis/prognosis, fear. Life sustaining treatment: advance directives are commonly used to prevent the use of. Creation of medical dilemmas: treatment of illness may be possible, but restoring function impossible. Treatments that may prolong life, but not improve the quality of life or function of an individual: ex. Cpr, mechanical ventilation, antibiotics, blood transfusions, artificial feedings. Aid in dying: euthanasia: active euthanasia: actions taken to deliberately shorten a life. Passive euthanasia: deliberately withholding or discontinuing treatment that might extend life.
