What is worse than death?
“Lay people often think the worse thing that can happen to you is dying,” says Dr. Fredholm. She recommends you begin the process by thinking about what is worse than death for you. There are lots of different scenarios. For example, think about a patient locked in after a stroke, paralyzed and only able to communicate by blinking the eyelids, but totally awake and aware. Another example is someone in an ICU who has terrible pain that cannot be relieved by medication. Others would involve someone who has completely lost the ability to remember or communicate or who could be kept alive only through artificial means such as a feeding tube. The answer to these questions most likely is different for everyone based on their personal beliefs. What is a bad death? “Most people can remember a family member or friend who had a death that was upsetting or disturbing. Perhaps there was intense pain involved or the person was unable to communicate. Most people can’t tell us what they want, but the
