janelle

I believe she interacts in her own way. She has signed a do not resusitate order and has told us she does not want to be kept alive with extraordinary means. No tubes breathing for her or anything like that. I feel more comfortable putting her into a carehome since I was not sure how I would deal with finding her not breathing. I told hospice I would probably tear up the paper and the medics have to resusitate without a paper. I did not want to have them bring her back just to have the family decide to have the machine turned off if she were brain dead.

I do not believe people with dementia are brain dead. She is not the same mother she was ten years ago but she is still my mother and I will love her and do what I and the family think is right until she dies.

Of course it would be better if she died peacefully in her sleep but that is for
God to decide. Until that time I will do as much for her as I can to make her life as full as it can be for where she is. She knows she is loved and I believe people also have a certain control over when they want to die. That may be the only control she has now and I will let her have it. No euthanasia needed here. It gets to be the slippery slope when that means of dying becomes the norm.