Dementia and futile care

Controversial comments in Europe, suggesting that people with dementia have a “duty to die“:

“If you’re demented, you’re wasting people’s lives — your family’s lives — and you’re wasting the resources of the National Health Service.”

Extreme views to be sure, but any attempt to provoke discussion of futile care should be welcomed.

There is certainly no “duty” for the elderly and demented to die. However, we currently are on the opposite end of the spectrum, spending what we can to keep them alive.

A solution, like most things, lies somewhere in the middle.

Related posts:

1. Futile care
2. Futile care
3. Futile care debate led to a physician resignation
4. Should we charge families for futile care?
5. Does cutting health care costs mean spending less on the elderly?
6. Futile care
7. How we spend the most money on futile care

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