Medical aid… Suffering | The Journal of Montreal

Quebec wants to freeze hospital beds in Greater Montreal Here’s a great story about that.

Jeanine*: 95 years old, crippled by atherosclerosis for many years. Stayed at home in RPA until a month ago. The slow descent into hell spanned many years.

To complete a daily life that boils down to using a walker to go from a chair to the toilet, is always punctuated by taking strong medications.

This summer 2022, suffering, weakness, weight loss and fall. It finally took her to the hospital.

Jeanine has been asking for medical assistance in dying since the procedure became available. She has always hit a wall. This time, his request was heard and after evaluation by two doctors, he was finally granted.

At 95, in her condition, what quality of life can she expect?

Jeanine, who is not considered terminally ill, must wait three months by law to receive medical assistance in dying.

Three more months of suffering…

Physical, of course, but also moral. Jeanine can no longer return to living in her apartment at RPA, but can no longer stay in the hospital in geriatrics. We need to free up beds.

What awaits him?

CHSLD or an “intermediate resource”.

This search for a place of change mobilizes a staff of social workers from the hospital, but also from the CIUSSS of her home metropolis. In other words: we are therapeutic and costly. Why drag her from one place to another to take her back to the hospital to get this help that will release her and die at the age of 95, at the end of a full life?

It’s called dying with dignity.

It’s like dying when medicine, managers’ logic, and law decide.

Welcome to Afzardistan!

*Patient’s name has been changed to remain anonymous.