‘Intelligent’ debate on death

An “intelligent” debate on end of life care is essential as Australia’s population rapidly ages.

The statement comes from American futurist and author, David Houle, who was a keynote speaker at the MedTech 2012 conference in Sydney last week.

Mr Houle claims if older Australians started making arrangements about their death, it would lower their end-of-life costs by 50%.

But people have been too afraid to talk about their deaths, according to Mr Houle.

“If we all know we are in the same boat, why not have a conversation about it?” he says, as reported by The Herald Sun.

“We’ve somehow moralistically thought that death is something we can’t talk about, and as a result, caring for the ageing, caring to keep people alive and end-of-life care is disproportionately expensive to society.”

Mr Houle adds, you can choose to be kept alive and you can choose not to, but he doesn’t believe we give people a choice.

“That’s because the medical profession makes so much money in keeping people alive – they have a vested interest in not having a conversation about it.”

He believes an “intelligent” conversation about death will “eliminate euthanasia”.

New technologies to help people look after themselves – whether through an app, mapping their genetic code or bionic technology – were suggestions made by Mr Houle last week.

Do you agree “intelligent” conversations need to be had about death and dying?