"Some time ago, talking to her about a mutual friend with dementia, I said if I were diagnosed with it, I would want to end my life while I was still me. She asked how I would do that, and has brought up the subject once or twice since. I was afraid she would ask me to help her end her own life."
"She recently showed me a pill bottle, which she said contained her way out. She was prescribed these tablets and warned not to exceed the dose, as that would prove fatal. She said knowing they are there means she can cope with life with debilitating conditions. When I told another friend about this, she said I should speak to her doctor and/or her sons, as she sounded clinically depressed."
"I didn't do anything who wouldn't be depressed by being housebound, with limited mobility and terminal cancer? And my inclination is to continue to say and do nothing. I realise this means I will have to keep the secret should she use the tablets. But she trusts me, and talks to me in a way she doesn't to her sons and her siblings. Do you think I should continue to keep her confidence?"
An octogenarian describes a close friend with inoperable cancer, limited mobility, and no current physical pain. The friend possesses prescribed tablets and was warned that exceeding the dose would be fatal, and she says their presence helps her cope with potential debilitating conditions. The confidant previously said they would consider ending their life if diagnosed with dementia, which prompted the friend to ask how that would be done. A mutual acquaintance advised contacting the friend's doctor or adult sons because of signs of depression, but the confidant has not done so and feels legally unable to assist.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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