I am writing in response to the letter by Philip Thompson in the Aug. 20 Telegram.

My mother was exhibiting signs of Alzheimer’s, as far back as 1996, when her husband passed away. We did not recognize the signs of dementia then because we thought the changes in her behavior were due to the shock of losing her husband. They were married for 49 years.

I will not go into the details of my father’s death but I will say that we would have had a good case for a lawsuit against the intern that made a huge mistake while in charge of health care decisions for my father.

When my mother had a fall in 2005, one of the outcomes was to take her to a psychiatrist and he tested her for Alzheimer’s.

We were devastated to learn that she had the disease. We had no idea what her journey would be like for her or for us.

She managed to live alone in her house with help until 2014, when she had another serious fall.

She is still alive today and, at age 94, she is living in a wonderful assisted living facility for people with dementia. She is in a wheelchair and is totally dependent on others for her care.

So, I guess my question is: at what point in her life would she have stated that “I wish to die quickly and painlessly, by lethal drug, given in an IV, by an appropriate person (allowable by state law)?”

I miss my mother terribly and am learning to accept her the way she is now and live each moment to the fullest with her.

Jan Jukkola

Bridgton

 

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