DEATH AND THE ELDERLY REVISION GUIDE

1. DEATH AND THE ELDERLY REVISION GUIDE

2. ATTITUDES TO DEATH WHAT IS DEATH? For religious believers, death is the point when the soul leaves the body and begins their afterlife, this could be in heaven or hell (Christian, Muslims and Jews) or by being reborn into another body (Hindus). Medically speaking, death is when there is no brain stem activity. A person’s heart and lungs can be made to work artificially but many would argue that if there is no brain stem activity, then the person concerned is already dead. KEY TERMS VALUE OF LIFE How important you are considered to be. This can be viewed in different ways, some people are important to family and friends because they love them, others are important to society because of a contribution that they have made, eg John Lennon QUALITY OF LIFE The idea that it is what you can do with your life that it important, simply being alive is not always good enough SANCTITY OF LIFE The idea that all life is a precious gift from God, all that is important is being alive RELIGIOUS IDEAS Hindus What do you think happens? Karma decides what sort of life people are reborn into The good are reborn into a better life The bad are reborn into a worse life Those who fulfil are their duties return to God Christians The good go to heaven The bad go to hell The real punishment in hell is being separated from God Death is not the end The good are rewarded The bad are punished There is a chance to be with God Jews Muslims

3. ATTITUDES TO THE ELDERLY I hate being old, my body is falling apart, I can’t do things for myself, I hardly have any money, I’m bored because I can’t work anymore and people talk to me like I’m stupid. I love being old, I have loads of free time because I don’t have to work, I can do fun things with my grandchildren and my family respect my age and life experience. 20% of people in Britain are over 65 2 million people over 65 live alone Why do you think that people have different experiences of being elderly? WHERE SHOULD THE ELDERLY LIVE? CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY The idea that as a society, we have a responsibility to provide care to anyone who needs it. Joanna Lumley is over 65 and successfully campaigned for changes in the law to allow Gurkha soldiers the right to live in Britain

4. SHOULD THE ELDERLY LIVE WITH THEIR FAMILY? YES NO What things would you need to consider before caring for an elderly relative? Muslims The Lord has decreed that ye be kind to parents RELIGIOUS IDEAS Christians Honour your father and your mother May his nose be rubbed in the dust who found his parents approaching old age and lost his right to enter Paradise because he did not look after them Elderly people should be respected and cared for as they are an important part of the community Children have a duty to care for their parents themselves, it is considered a disgrace to put elderly parents in a home It is acceptable to put elderly parents in a home if it is in their best interests, eg children would struggle to care for them Love one another as I have loved you

5. KEY WORDS

6. IN FAVOUR OF EUTHANASIA CASE STUDY Reg Crew was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease at the age of 72. Motor Neurone is a disease that causes the muscles in the body to stop working, there is no cure and the illness is terminal. Reg had reached the point where he could not even support his own head. Reg chose to end his life at the Dignitas clinic in Switerzland because he could not bear the thought of carrying on only to starve or choke to death which would have almost certainly happened. BRITISH LAW British law currently states that it is illegal for a doctor or anyone else to help someone to kill themselves. There are many people who are campaigning to have this law changed. SWISS LAW Dignitas was founded in 1998 by Ludwig A. Minelli, a Swiss lawyer. It helps people who wish to end their lives by providing the medical and emotional support needed to commit suicide. Before a person is allowed to die, they have a serious of meetings so that doctors can assess whether their condition is serious enough and also to ensure that they are not being pressured into the decision by others. Do you think that people who are seriously ill or severely disabled should be allowed to die?

7. AGAINST EUTHANASIA CASE STUDY Daniel James was 23 when he was paralysed from the chest down following a rugby training accident. After several unsuccessful attempts to kill himself, Daniel travelled to Switzerland and ended his life at the Dignitas clinic. Daniel’s case caused controversy as he was so young, was not suffering from a terminal illness and the majority of people who sustain the same injury, do go on to live meaningful lives. CASE STUDIES Jessica Cox was born with no arms, this would surely be classed as a severe disability yet she lives an extremely purposeful lfe. Jonny Kennedy was born with an incurable skin disease that left him severely disabled and inconstant pain. Jonny was philosophical about his condition and believed that he had been born that way to understand patience and managing frustration Do you think that there are any circumstances that would justify euthanasia?

8. THE USE OF LIFE SUPPORT SUSTAINING LIFE – Keeping people alive. Artificial ways of doing this include life support machine SHOULD WE USE LIFE SUPPORT MACHINES? SCOTT SCHMID Scott was seriously injured in a car accident and doctors believed that his scans showed that he was brain dead. As they were about to remove his life support and begin donating his organs, doctors saw him move his fingers, Scott went on to make a full recovery. TONY BLAND Tony was seriously injured in the Hillsborough disaster. His brain stem remained intact which meant he could breathe for himself but the rest of his brain was severely and permanently damaged – doctors said that there was no hope of any sort of recovery. After 4 years of treatment his feeding tubes were withdrawn and he died.

9. RELIGIOUS ATTITUDES TO EUTHANASIA ROMAN CATHOLICS Take a sanctity of life stance and believe that all life is a precious gift from God, that it should be up to him when it ends and therefore are opposed to euthanasia in all cases except the turning off of life support for a brain dead person as effectively they have already died. Do not kill Euthanasia is killing so therefore it is wrong The body is a temple of the holy spirit Everyone has a little bit of God inside them, if you kill the person you kill the bit of God – therefore euthanasia is wrong CHURCH OF ENGLAND Are generally opposed to euthanasia but are willing to make exceptions in extreme circumstances. These Christians believe that rather than follow the rules of the Bible, they should follow the example of Jesus who broke the rules himself if it was the most loving thing to do. They would consider euthanasia for terminal illness, severe disability and severe brain damage. If God is the author of life then it follows that he should be the one who determines when it ends Euthanasia is wrong because only God should decide when life ends Church of England Roman Catholics

10. THE HOSPICE MOVEMENT Started by Ciceley Saunders who wanted to care for people who were dying of cancer. Ciceley’s aim was to make the last part of people’s lives as comfortable as possible. Hospices today now care for people suffering from many diseases. Hospice is an ethos of care – it is all about making people in the last stages of life more comfortable Provides a range of activities such as music and art therapy to try and make life enjoyable Provides a comfortable environment for patients where families can stay whenever they want to WHAT DOES A HOSPICE DO? Experts in pain relief and can provide support for people at home as well as inpatients Provides counselling and support for both the patient and their family before and after death. Looks after emotional and spiritual needs Hospices are not religious organisations but do agree with the Christian ethos of ‘Loving you neighbour’ and following Jesus’ example of caring for the sick. Although hospices are not religious themselves, many Christians volunteer as a way of expressing their faith. Many hospices receive no government funding, do you think this is fair?

11. ATTITUDES TO DEATH AND THE ELDERLY

12. CLUES Across 4. When someone who is seriously ill or severely disabled chooses to end their life 8. Where do Roman Catholics look to for guidance on euthanasia? 9. Some people want to end their lives so that they can die with this 11. These people believe that they should look after their parents themselves 12. Lack of activity in this part of the body suggests death 14. This type of euthanasia involved withdrawing or withholding treatment Down 1. If Christians are good they will get to go here when they die 2. This type of euthanasia involved a deliberate action to end life 3. These people believe that it is ok to put elderly parents in a good care home if it is in their best interests 5. When someone is discriminated against on account of their age 6. Some people don't want to be this on their family 7. Some people support euthanasia because they think that individuals should have the right to _ _ _ _ _ _ 10. These people believe in reincarnation 13. Where do Church of England Christians look to for guidance on euthanasia? 14. Some people object to euthanasia because they think that people may be under _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to end their lives

13. PRACTICE QUESTIONS