Longevity means nothing in a life without quality,
a life without contribution.
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"The Elders can become a fiercely independent and robust force for good, tackling conflicts and intractable issues, especially those that are not popular."
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Nelson Mandela as he launched the council of 12 Global Elders
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Healthy living and aging must include provisions
for a healthy (high quality) demise.
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"Dying isn’t a disease, but a natural part of life. It shouldn’t be "treated" with endless procedures that serve only to create terrible discomfort and perpetuate an illusion that with enough machines we can defeat mortality..."
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Daniel R. Tobin, M.D. in Peaceful Dying
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The longevity of older generations needs to fit within
the goal of well being for the entire family.
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"Without greatly accelerated reform (at the end of life), ‘some combination of pain, disability, financial ruin, family stress and powerlessness awaits most of us’)."
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Joanne Lynn, MD, in Focus: The Way Forward Issue 25 May/06
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The Impact of Medically Induced Longevity (MIL) on Families
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At the time when they are at the apex of careers (trying to save for retirement), and at the time when they are most needed by children and grandchildren, boomer caregivers often find themselves at wits’ end due to complex issues related to their parents’ longevity. And as many boomers begin to realize that current levels of publically funded medical support will not be available to them in their elder years, they recognize the need to develop alternatives; including healthy holistic living/aging and a willingness to gracefully accept death at nature’s appointed time. More...
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Exploring Choices About Death: 2009 Survey Results
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Download the Report
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Tips on helping elders with Medically Induced Longevity
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Download the Tip Sheet
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Stories about Medically Induced Longevity (MIL)
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We're on the threshold of the first-ever mass geriatric society...
"The bad news is that the price that many people are going to be paying for [an] extra decade of healthy longevity is up to another decade of anything but healthy longevity. We've not yet begun to face up to what this means in human terms."
Dr. Leon Kass, Quoted in PBS documentary "Living Old"
There is a link to this information on our "Links" page in the "Dealing with Death" category
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For millions of Americans, living longer means coping with multiple chronic illnesses, increasing frailty and prolonged periods of dementia, which may last for years and sometimes even decades. Only one in 20 people over the age of 85 is still fully mobile, and roughly half will develop some form of dementia. "Everything started to go at 82 years," says Rose Chanes, now 96 and in assisted living. "I don't hear, I don't see. You've got to be crazy to call it a blessing to live like this. I call it a curse."
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Quoted in PBS documentary "Living Old"
There is a link to this information on our "Links" page in the "Dealing with Death" category
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Mrs. Chee’s ER experience
This is a summary of the story about an 80 year old patient written by ER physician Tony Dajer.
It was published in Discover Magazine (3/13/07).
Mrs. Chee was rushed into the ER: altered mental status, no palpable blood pressure.More...
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Before a crisis
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Five Wishes
Make your wishes known, and know what your loved ones want. Lacking funds or time to consult with an attorney is not an excuse! For $5/ copy (plus S/H) you can avoid disaster by ordering Five Wishes. (Large orders are even cheaper per copy, go in with your friends and neighbors and order a large quantity!)
Valid in 40 states (and the District of Columbia), Five Wishes is a legal document, written in understandable language, in a user friendly booklet that is an easy to recognize in an emergency. Five Wishes has done the hard part - it has identified scenarios and articulated directives and language about your final days, your death and how you want to be remembered. You just check the options that you want/ don’t want. The booklet contains blank space for you to add your own thoughts.
Items covered by Five Wishes :
- Which person you want to make health care decisions for you when you can't make them.
- The kind of medical treatment you want or don't want.
- How comfortable you want to be.
- How you want people to treat you.
- What you want your loved ones to know.
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Boomers, it’s a real stress reducer to speak for yourself - before the need arises!
http://www.agingwithdignity.org/5wishes.html
Phone: (888) 594-7437
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