When I think of Dementia, I think of my great grandmother. Watching the disease progress, in her case, was awful. It began with family dinners and listening to her ask over and over where her father was or when she could get the bus home. She was constantly being corrected by her daughter, who did everything in her power to take care of her mother and keep her alive. My great Aunt, needless to say, was a saint. She ended up retiring early to care for her mother completely. But, as the disease progressed, my great grandmother lost the ability to swallow, get out of bed, and became incontinent. She had a previous heart condition that resulted in my great Aunt making the decision to have a pacemaker placed. This was because she valued her mom's life and thought this was what she should do. So, while this woman was slowing declining, her heart was not. It just kept ticking. My sister and I would sit in the back room with her and watch T.V. with her in a hospital bed, unaware of her surroundings, and basically (for lack of a better word), a vegetable. She was bathed, changed, and fed through a straw liquified food that my aunt would make in a blender. This lasted for years.
I think this makes me think of the progression of this horrible disease and what technology allows us to do to extend life. However, in some cases like the above, what is more important? Quality of one's life or quantity? Our society seems to believe in sustaining life. We want to save and cure people. However, we know there is no cure for dementia. It will eventually result in death. I believe, if we have adequate advance directives and advanced care planning with our loved ones, we can avoid simply hanging on with no quality of life. I know I don't want to be that way.
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