AMD?

The recent news about an old lady being mistreated in a nursing home highlights the problem of shortage in manpower to look after the sickly aged. One can only shudder at the thought of how much worse the situation will be like when the baby boomers become dependent on caregivers en masse. Our children will have to suffer the dilemma of putting us in nursing homes as it is literally impossible for them to quit their job to look after us, given the shortage of manpower and the fewer siblings in a family. It is already an economic strain on their generation to support an overwhelming greying population. I guess the baby boomers have a responsibility to keep healthy but even then it is inevitable that the day will still come when the body succumbs. The reported incident also gave a glimpse into the anguish and differing opinion faced by the children of that old lady in deciding the best care for her. One must also remember that a senile old folk can be a real challenge to look after and can affect the care giver emotionally too.

A few years ago when I visited a mountainous region in Malaysia, I was taken in by the enveloping mountain ranges. They seemed to look upon the world for thousands of years with unquavering tranquility. I remembered having a strange thought then, wondering whether it would be better for a terminally ill person to spend his last days in an abode admist those mountains instead of being wired up in a hospital. The strange thought was perhaps prompted by memories of a Japanese legend. The story has it that in a certain ancient town in Japan it was mandatory for old folks upon reaching 60 years of age to be carried up to the mountain where they would be abandoned. The story of course has a happy ending when the policy was aborted after the mayor recognised the wisdom of an old man who was hidden at home by his son. The story appealed to me in a strange way, not about the abandonment of course but more about dying naturally and with nature. Of course it is like a romantic fantasy of a city folk who runs to the doctor at the slightest health symptom. Having said that I am ever ready to opt out of life support or medical treatment when the situation is inevitable death or permanent coma etc. In this respect I am reminded that I have yet to make a living will or AMD (Advance Medical Directive).

(btw I found out that you have to appoint a person to speak on your behalf in case you can no longer communicate. Apparently the person can not be someone who is a beneficiary of your will. Hmm... rather problematic isn't it!)