The VE Bulletin Excerpts
'No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself' Rudyard Kipling
Shameful deaths: Professor of sociology speaks out
In his book A Social History of Dying, sociology professor Allan Kellehear, University of Bath, has stated that one in five people will die a ‘shameful death’, alone, ravaged by dementia and lacking dignity. He argues that this would be the type of death considered shameful by previous generations, and it reveals that death is becoming increasingly ‘tragic and anti-social’.
‘Most people think only fleetingly about how they will die and usually it surrounds some romantic notion of dying in our sleep at home,’ which is generally not the case. People are more likely to face a protracted death in a nursing home or hospital, preceded by multiple organ failure, pneumonia or dementia.
Professor Kellehear claims that the way that developed countries treat the dying is ‘shameful’ leading to an increasing number of elderly people considering suicide in order to manage their own death. He is urging governments worldwide to reassess how the act of dying is treated as it will become a ‘major crisis’ if not tackled head on.
Professor Kellehear stated that this may involve introducing more liberal policies that enable people to better manage their dying, a closer examination of medical ethics, and better training for those who care for the elderly. He concedes that this is not a popular issue for politicians, but if they do not address it there will be ‘no escape from the tragedy that will befall many of us when we die.’
Reference:
‘One in five face 'shameful death’ The Australian 4th April 2007
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