Help ending life by stopping medications?
Hello friends,
I would like people's opinion on the following:
My father, 87 years old with PD / Lewy body syndrome,
He is in a care home, and in his "last stage" for quite some time now. Totally handicapped , can't even speak, and mentally in "wonderland" for most of the time.
Lately , the medical team raised the dose of levodopa again, because of stiffness that makes it hard to take care of him.
But the question is: For whom are we giving those meds?
We have the feeling that if he could speak, he would chose to end it all. So why give him more meds?
We are now thinking about slowly decreasing the amounts of meds to help him go to the "terminal" stage quicker.
But of course: We also don't want him to suffer unnecessarily.
My question is: What will happen if we choose to do this? What happens to him when slowly decreasing the doses of meds?
Has anyone been in this situation? Thoughts on doing this?
Thank you in advance for thinking with us!
John.
Thank you for your question. I empathize with the situation you are facing. You may have done so already, but I suggest you speak to his medical team to inquire about Hospice services for your dad. Best, Marc M., parkinsonsdisease.net, Moderator
John, my heart goes out to you. Seeing your dad in this state must be so very difficult. I agree with that Hospice services may be able to guide you through this situation. I have had a family member who needed hospice services and they were there for the whole family. They helped the family come to terms with the decisions they needed to make in the most caring way possible. Thea DeStephano
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