Death in the Near Future

Yes I've studied Alzheimers and Dementia for quite a while now ... very interested in this topic..there's just so many different types and causes. I just had never heard the connection with food..I'd be very interested to hear the results if they do an autopsy, ....god rest her soul. May she R.I.P
 
Don M. said:
I have done a fair amount of research on Dementia, over the past few months. Dementia is a "condition" with many causes, and there is little that can be done to reduce the symptoms and effects, unless it is diagnosed in its early stages. Some of it can be "genetic", while other causes can be due to diseases which can affect the neurological systems. One of the causes is exposure to contaminated food or water which contains bacteria or parasites which attack the organs, and the brain. There are several internet sites which describe the potential causes.

I tend to lean towards the "contamination" possibilities, as Sis and her husband both began to decline at the same time.

We got the Phone Call this morning....Sis is gone, and the BIL is not far behind.
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So sorry for the loss of your sister. I hope she is at peace.
 

Mitch86 said:
I'm 87 now and just this morning (6:45 AM) I woke with Level 10 pain in lower back, legs and feet. I have spinal arthritis which radiates pain and impairment to my lower back, legs and feet. It's getting almost impossible for me to get out of bed plus a wheel chair may be in my near future. I do have a Living Will and Advanced Directive which allows me to refuse all treatment including nutrition and hydration and just go. John McCain and Barbara Bush both went that way at their end. However, then my pain passes like just now and i change my mind and just keep plodding on. The other option is a trip to Switzerland where their doctors have a legal right to administer euthanasia. However, the flight to there from where I live in Connecticut, USA, would be about 8 hours and at my level of incapacity and pain it would just be too much for me.

However. just sitting here at my PC and typing all this made my pain drop to level 4 and I've decided to live on. I believe old age is for the birds and euthanasia should be legalized fpr everyone age 75 or older. No one should have to die a long, slow death over many years.
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I so agree with you re: euthanasia, and I'm so sorry you are having to go through these ups and downs. I'm glad you are finding some degree of therapy in your posts on SF.

Re: not drinking or eating, I did a lot of research on caregiving when my mother was in hospice and it can take anywhere from 10 days to several weeks to die without either. And when the organs start to shut down due to lack of nutrition, there is tremendous body pain and it affects the mind as well. With that said, my mother continued to order eggs (her favorite) and drink Ensure and water until almost a week before she passed away. She was still complaining of pain and having hallucinations for almost 30 days. I asked hospice to increase her pain medication toward the end, so she just slept most of the time.

My pharmacist keeps filling my prescription for Trazadone for sleeping, even though I only take 1/4 pill each night. I'll soon have 2 bottles. If I can't make it to Switzerland I guess I'll just take a couple of bottles when the time comes.
 
for christmas last year i realized i was the oldest person i know, at 74.

that was sorta chilling.

i do also believe in the right to self determination, i wont hang around just to bring more profit to some
corp dealing with old people. who is it that wants another old person to hang around even longer?....
 
Being here in Florida and belonging to my HOA, they have a party or some get-together events to allow people a chance to know one another. Last Wednesday, there was a birthday party for all of the residents in our HOA that were 90 years of age or older. I wouldn’t have missed that for anything.

My wife and I enjoy these types of events. It gives us an opportunity to honor those that have beat the odds. There are about 700 residents in our community. Out of the 700, 12 people over 90 showed up and each of them was given an opportunity to speak. One gentleman spoke for a few minutes and sat down. For whatever reason, he kind of intrigued me, so after the others were finished speaking and we all had cake and ice cream, I wandered over to his table and met him.

His name was Paul and my first remarks to him was to wish him a happy birthday and congratulations on being 97. My first question to him was “were you in WWII” and yes, he was. I am a bit of an American history buff, so I took the opportunity to ask him what branch of the service did he serve in. He told me that he served in the Navy Seabees. I can’t remember the name of the island, but he spent a lot of time near the coast of Africa. I enjoyed talking with him When these old-timers die, they take a lot of history with them.
 
I try not to dwell on the inevitable. I'm doing well physically more or less, but boredom might kill me. When I worked I was always busy and had friends to do things with. Maybe I should find a job.
 
Pepper said:
Questioned my grandma as to what it was like before phones & cars & electricity On her own she told me the history that was being made when she was young.
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I used to question my mom and dad all the time about things during their younger days. I was especially interested in the depression era and WWII. My dad told me that I should either be a detective or a lawyer because I ask so many questions, but he never told me not to or to quit doing it. In fact, my parents were very supportive with it. I still remember my Mom telling me about the time her dad took her to see the airship USS Shenandoah when it crashed. My dad was very good at telling me stories of the depression and WWII. They were both youngsters when those events happened, except for WWII. My dad fought in two different wars. He absolutely hated being in Korea. He was also in Vietnam, but was not in combat.
 
Mitch86 said:
It should be noted that in America, the average life expectancy for women is 81 years and for men 77 years. At 87 years I am 10 years beyond the average for men and all my health problems are probably related to that fact. My age, alone, dooms me to death in the near future.
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When we hear those life expectance numbers we need to remind ourselves that they are averages that include deaths from all ages, even the very young.

Remember, Mitch, there are lots of inherited problems, certain cancers and heart problems for instance, that take people in their sixties. We made it past those things and might be lucky enough to sail on through to 100 or more. My neighbor fell and broke her hip at Christmas, now she's on her front porch enjoying spring, she will be 100 in July.
 
Mitch86 said:
My conclusion: live each day as if it were our last since it just may be that. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!
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Yes! Good philosophy. Except if I knew it was my last day I might be tempted to give all my money away, probably will hold off on that one.

It's also good to see you still thinking, posting and active 3 weeks after your first post. I was a bit worried.
 

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