Has anyone looked into right to die for a dementia diagnosis?

Hospice is supposed to be able to cover Alz if the doctor feels that the patient is in the last months of life. There are many things that go with Alz that can be used to predict how long life will last -- weight loss, changes in vitals, not eating, loss of ability to do ADLs, etc. If a doctor determines that the end is near, he/she can recommend hospice in NY.

I am in NY and have been advised by the Alzheimer's association to definately take advantage of Hospice, so pamstegma, I'm not sure why you say dementia doesn't qualify for hospice.

MaryL, here in NY dementia is not a terminal condition and does not qualify for Hospice care.

If you type assisted suicide in the search box (open the menu, three bars in the upper left) you will see we have covered this topic on AgingCare before.

Oregon has the right to die law. I believe California recently passed it. In Oregon the law is that the person has to be suffering and have a terminal condition. A person has to be of sound mind to make the decision. When people first get Alzheimer's they feel fine. By the time they are not feeling fine, they may longer have a mind sound enough to make the decision. It's a catch-22. No one else can make the decision for you.

If someone really wanted to end suffering, though, assisted suicide is not the only option. In the old days people used to walk out on the ice and vanish.