On August 27th, Catherine Ferrier, a family doctor working in a geriatric clinic, responded to an article in The Gazette recounting the story of a woman who chose suicide as a result of a diagnosis of dementia.
The president of the Physicians’ Alliance against Euthanasia regrets that this full-page article with three photographs titled ‘She didn’t want to be a burden’ (Aug. 23) promotes a vision of society where only productive citizens are valued and where vulnerable and dependent people do not have a place. “Being dependent does not remove our dignity,” Dr. Ferrier says.
Having worked for 30 years caring for people who have dementia, Dr. Ferrier considers that the article is insulting to her patients, who often face the challenge with courage and with the hope of finding peace in spite of the disease. She notes that it is not uncommon to see situations turn for the better with respect to the dynamics of their family. She has seen families drawn together by adversity and adult children develop relationships with aged and demented parents that they never dreamed possible.
Dr. Ferrier says that ours is a throwaway culture, but we should never regard or consider people as “disposable after use”.
Patients with dementia deserve care, not death.