Socio (Nov 2023)
Mourir de vieillesse augmente-t-il le risque de mal mourir ?
Abstract
This paper explores the hypothesis that elderly people are discriminate in the face of dying, by not having access to adequate medical and mainly palliative care, due to their age. The factors proposed to be at the origin of this discrimination are three: (1) The way death is approaching and can be detected as coming soon, are not the same than in other clinical situations, due to illnesses as cancer for example. There is still a deficit of medical knowledge, about what biologically and physiologically means to become very old and dying of aging. Palliative care has not been developed for assisting people dying due to old age and remains quite inappropriate for that in their current conception. (2) Old age is a risk factor of not being as much respected in one’s autonomy as young people. Indeed, elderly are frequently considered as heteronomous and vulnerable, deserving to be protected, even against themselves and what they express. (3) Lastly, if becoming very old without getting a fatal disease can be considered as a privilege, it can indeed come with difficulties to have access to active assistance in dying. Actually, the laws that open the access to such a procedure autorize it only for people whose vital prognosis is compromised at short term because of a terminal illness fatal or for people who suffer without possibilities to be relieved, all conditions that are usually not part of the picture of dying from aging.
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