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.
