Originally posted by: Errantnomad
It's a tough call Sri. A lot of heartache. When to let go?.
People who are brain dead on ventilator support, the family takes that call based on various considerations, emotional and financial. Of late I hv heard people letting know of their immediate relatives , their desire of having a death not being hooked up to machines. I think when the person when in all senses lets people know of his will to die, I guess the next line respects that wish to that kind of end with dignity. A friend who was taking care of his father, an Alzheimer's patient after his father's death told his wife and his brother, "should the same thing happen to me like Appa, don't even blink, just pull the plug on me. "To which his brother said , same goes for me too. For which the friend's wife said, it's just not your call, it's my call too. To which the guy said," it's our children's call when we get old. Die with dignity is my call. So I will even write a will... Just pull the plug on me. "
But how do we decide when to let go of people who cannot express themselves verbally like periappa here.
Practical considerations go a long way in making that kind of decisions finally, I guess.
Money is one thing but you cannot discount the flailing health and age of the caretakers too.
The care they have given to periappa is out of the ordinary and his passing away will surely ease them of
Of the strains involved, no doubt.. But how does one let go of this bond which has kept him alive for all these years.
comment:
p_commentcount