Im not trying to mean, and please dont take offense, but why do people spend so much money and time trying to make old and dying people live for just a little bit longer when they are probably suffering anyway?

Because life is precious, and loved ones are so dear to us... they don't want to leave any sooner than they have to either... we just buried a great aunt last week. She was very fragile and spent her last days in the hospital, but she loved us and loved having us with her, and she didn't want leave us any more than we wanted to see her go...

When you love someone, you want them around. My husband's father is in a bad way right now, he is only around 70 or so. I don't think he will ever have a decent quality of life. If I were in his shoes, I would want to be dead and at peace.

The human desire is to live and others want to keep their loves ones with them as long as possible. It just is what it is.

It's sad, because, for most elderly, there quality of life isnt that good. No I dont think people should be kept alive just because there loved ones cant let go of them. I think sometimes its down right cruel the way some families handle there dying or severely ill family members, by forcing them to live.

The care that older people receive no matter what shape they are in, is out of respect for that loved one. We care for them because we love them. We know they are dying and we cannot stop that process, but we can make them as comfortable as possible.
Since you cannot euthanize a human being to "put them out of their misery", some people want to fight and you need to make sure they are cared for right up until the end.
I believe that they deserve that.

It should be up to the individual how they want to be treated. If one person believes that receiving medical care up to the very end is important, it is not up to anyone else to judge.

My Mother in Law has written up a Do Not Resusitate (DNR)form and pasted it on her refrigerator. In it she spells out exactly what medical care she wants and does not want. We will try to accept her wishes.

A point that hasn't been made yet is that as long as the patient is of sound mind, they have a choice in the matter, as well. It doesn't necessarily have to be the family that is prolonging the end.

I imagine that once you are in the position you will feel differently about it. It must be scary to be told you are dying... BUT if we do this or that it may help.Like grasping at straws.

An argument for the ages for sure. Man have I seen some suffering too. Living wills need to be used more often. This will prevent others from making loved ones hang on when they really wish to die.

I think that when a loved one is at that stage...we try do do what we can to keep them alive with that little bit of hope that there may actually be a cure, that maybe, just maybe those last 30 seconds worth of shocks will change something. Most people, including myself, wouldn't want to just let go...I think I'd feel like I've given up on them. At least when we've tried everything, we can rest assured that we tried...though it doesn't take away from the grief.

here i'll pull the plug on you the you can come back and tell us why

These poor older and probably suffering individuals have family, who think whatever ailment they have will pass and can't understand that some of them are just too tired to argue, so they allow them to stretch out a worthless life without quality; for the benefit of their living family. What the family doesn't know is that they're probably already dead inside. I know I am...