religious attitudes to the elderly and death
- Created by: Fionnuala Smith
- Created on: 05-02-13 19:22
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- Religious attitudes to the elderly and death
- Caring for the elderly
- in home visiting care
- Sheltered accommodation = private yet social community
- Care home
- Hospice
- On average people stay for two weeks respite or until death
- Hospices were set up by christians for sick travellers
- Idea: If they're cared for they wont wish for euthenasia
- Care for emotional, spiritual & physical well being of patient & family
- St Anne's Hospice- opened in 1971
- Treats 3000 patients a year
- 95% cancer related illnesses
- Each given a personal care plan
- 95% cancer related illnesses
- Need to raise £16000 a day through voluntary contributions
- 42% return home
- Treats 3000 patients a year
- Buddhism says:
- May all people be happy
- forever in debt to our parents
- old people are a demonstration of anicca, so we learn from them
- Hinduism says:
- Whoever honours his father honours the creator himself. Whoever honours their mother, honours the earth itself (Mahabharata)
- The whole purpose of human existence is to benefit other people
- Islam says:
- Your lord orders that you...be kind to parents (Qur' an)
- Intefering with Allah's plans is wrong
- Do not take life - except for a just cause (Qur' an)
- Passive euthenasia is accepted where there's no hope
- Judaism says :
- Honour your father & mother (Ten commandments)
- See that they [parents] eat & drink & take them where they want to go
- Don't cast me off in old age, when my strength fails me (Psalms)
- One who is in a dying condition is regarded as a living person in all respects
- Sikhism says:
- It's the greatest sin to quarrel with parents who've given you birth and brought you up (Adi Granth)
- Mother's always forgive and forget, so you should too
- Death's inevitable, but it's wrong to speed it up
- However a primary guiding principle is relief of suffering
- so, Buddhism supports hospice movement
- I will abstain from taking life (first precept)
- Suffering before death may be part of karma they have to work through
- Hindu's agree with this
- It's not wrong for dying Hindu's to not accept medication or food (passive)
- Ahisma (non-harming) is principle
- by taking their own life [they] will suffer even more in the next life - Yajur Veda
- Hindu's agree with this
- However a primary guiding principle is relief of suffering
- Euthenasia
- Illegal in UK
- Doctors administer life shortening pain relief drugs
- 'I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest such counsel...' Doctors oath
- Active euthenasia - person killed to end suffering
- Passive euthanasia - allowing dying person to end life faster by taking away medical support
- UK - breaking suicide Act 1961
- assisstance = 14 year sentence (manslaughter / murder)
- No brain activity = Doctors switch off life-support machines
- Illegal in UK
- Caring for the elderly
- Suffering before death may be part of karma they have to work through
- Hindu's agree with this
- It's not wrong for dying Hindu's to not accept medication or food (passive)
- Ahisma (non-harming) is principle
- by taking their own life [they] will suffer even more in the next life - Yajur Veda
- Hindu's agree with this
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