Extraordinary means of life support

[debi]

I have read all the materials about life support and I have gotten into arguments with friends, family and even a priest about this issue. But I AM a black and white kind of person. My grandmother was 93 when she died. I argued at the time and have been ever since. She was living independantly until she fell, she ended up in a nursing home. She adjusted fairly well until she lost her second roommate within 2 weeks. (She was there for about 6 months). She got very deeply depressed and refused to eat. No one did anything about it.
It was not a great way to die. She did not fall into a coma for weeks.
In the end I was giving her ice chips for some hydration. She was a faithful Catholic all her life.

My question is this, should she have been given “artificial life support-hydration (how) and nutrition (NG tube?)” Because of her age the argument is was that necessary or not according to the teachings of the church.

I am asking because I still have living parents. And I want to know before this happens again.

I felt that if Grandma was not depressed she would not have stopped eating therefore she was not treated appropriately. I did not have a say in the matter except to argue with my uncle (and everyone else who would listen) who had the legal power. His priest said he did no wrong. My priest said he would not subject his parents to any artificial support at that age. Perhaps I am wrong in my thinking. Any help out there?

Sorry for the length of this post
blessings

 

[faith_ful1953us]

First of all, my heart broke just reading your story. I am so sorry for the depression that your grandmother went through. I am sorry that you could only stand by and witness it all.
I don’t think it was right for everyone to just stand by and do nothing to help her. There IS medication for the depressed and she should have been on it. Suicide IS against the law and what she was doing was basically suicide.
Just think, if life hadn’t gotten so rough for her, she would have eaten and drank…and enjoyed her family coming to visit, you know, the goings on of life. But life was getting her down and she went into depression enough to refuse to eat or drink. That was treatable and she should have been treated either with medicine and/or therapy.
May God grant her eternal rest.

 

[Michael_John]

Perhaps you can find the official teaching of the Church, along with an increase in peace, in reading paragraphs 2276-2279 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. What I have experienced is that these types of decisions are as morally tough as life gets. I am sure that your grandmother was pleased that you gave her the love that she deserved. May you have a great reunion with her some day.