In this article, you’ll read that Jerome Medalie has an advance directive stating that he wants to be able to have his health agent make certain that he is not fed when he can no longer feed himself. It’s unfortunate, but it’s very unclear as to whether this will be upheld in the future based on someone’s Health Directive that is written in the past when they are mentally competent.
Here is a great example of the importance of having end of life conversations and advance directives. But people must know that if they want to be absolutely certain that they don’t have to live into the late stages of dementia, they may have to choose to VSED when they are still mentally competent. These are very difficult life decisions. I know because this is what my husband chose to do, and as his advocate, I made it possible for him to have a good death. His care was overseen by a doctor and caregivers.
We’re all going to die. We each have choice about how and when we die. Let’s start thinking about this when we are healthy and full of life. When preparing for any type of death there are many things to think about. My husband and I went through a lot of medical preparation to achieve the quality of death he deserved and wished for.
Click the photo below for the link to Jerome Medalie’s story as told in the New York Times.
Someone contacted me because they are the advocate for a loved one who has decided to VSED. They asked for a list of care giving supplies to have on hand to facilitate the process and keep their loved one comfortable. One of my colleagues, who was a caregiver for Alan, put this list together. These are the items we assembled before Alan started. It was important to me that we have everything on hand so full attention could then be given to Alan once he started to VSED. These supplies can be acquired from local medical supply stores, local drugstores and/or on-line. If the person is going to VSED at home and Hospice is involved, Hospice is often able to supply many of these things. Coordinate this list with them before purchasing items or renting equipment independently.