Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Welcome to the Sunset End of Life Center...How Do You Want to Die?

This is a satire of what may occur if end of life rights advocates got their way and physician-assistated suicide were to become legal, using a parody to Allegancy Reproductive Health Center's "How do you want your abortion?" and Debi Jackson's "The World As I Would Create It" as well as guidelines from an actual existing euthanasia group, "Final Exit Network"

Let's imagine a world where physcian assisted suicide is considered a private matter to be decided by the indvidual and their physician, along with their partner, family, and/or clergy if they so choose.
Welcome to the Sunset End of Life Center. My name is Jane and I'm here to assist and support you through your end of life journey. As you drive towards our center, you will probably noticed the enclosed and gated parking lot. I apologize for any inconvience this may cause. We provide this for you and your family's safety. As you enter the building, the first room you will come across is the waiting room. This is where you will check in with the secretary and a staff member will be right with you. On the first floor, are our patient service offices. First, you will meet with one of our Sunset Guides. Your individual needs and timetable will be evaluated and coordinated with your Sunset Guide who will interview you about your physical and spiritual preferences and provide you with information on all alternatives for care at the end of life, including all legal methods of self-deliverance that will produce a peaceful, quick, certain and painless termination of life. Full emotional support is available to you and those close to you, tailored to your needs.We have an on-staff pyschologist as part of our support staff. And for those who seek spiritual resoluation and comfort, we offer various spiritual services and also have an in-house chapel, which is also located on the first floor. You will also be encouraged to seek consultations with others such as your spiritual advisor, oncologist, and/or other medical specialists. The procedure itself will be preformed in either a shared medical suite or one of our private medical suites on the second floor. We will work with you to tailor your experience to your individual needs and desires. This may include involving your family, items of comfort, a relaxing enviroment, a spiritual ceremony, pain relief options, etc. And each medical suite contains a bed, a comfortable recliner, a couch, and a closet (for your personal belongings) and each medical suite looks out onto either our floral garden or our reflection pond. Your final resting place will be determined according to the prior arangements made by yourself and/or family members, whether you wish to be creamated on site or wish to be sent to a funeral home, place of worship, or private burial site.

Packages:
Economy -- A basic "no frills" package is available for those individuals who don't need ambiance or additional support.  The procedure will be performed by an experienced and kind physician with your choice of pain relievers and sedatives. You will be roomed in a group medical suite with 3 other individuals, each bed partitioned and each individual's privacy respected. Yourself and other patients have chosen not to involve support persons and so the only persons in your medical suite will be be other patients and medical personel.

Spiritual Journey --The end of life journey is not just a physical experience but also a spiritual process. We offer a chaplaincy program and an in-house chapel. You can choose to  meet with one of our chaplains/spirit healers and guide a week in advance to plan the ritual journey that will meet your spiritual needs. Native American (Taino clan tradition), Eastern philosophy, nature-inspired (pagan), or custom designed ceremonies are available to you and to the support people who will accompany you on your spirit quest. Or, design your own rituals with the help of our experienced guides. The procedure will be performed by an experienced and kind physician in privacy with your choice of pain relievers and sedatives.


Full Emotional Support--The decision to end your life may well be the most difficult emotional decisions  an individual, couple, or family may face. Our experienced counselor will spend 2 hours with you and support person of your choice, and your appointment will be scheduled 2-7 days after that. The counselor will explore various issues, religious and spiritual concerns and offer grief coping skills to your loved ones. A choice of 3 self help books are included with additional suggestions for grief work and emotional aftercare for your loved ones. The procedure will be performed by an experienced and kind physician in privacy with your choice of pain relievers and sedatives.

The Family Package--This is an important decision in your life and of course you want your loved ones around you!! You can be accompanied through every phase of this process by the person(s) of your choosing. Counseling is available for all family members and includes training and suggestions for them to participate in your care prior to the procedure.

We thank you for choosing the Sunset End of Life Center and hope we can meet your family's needs now and for generations to come.

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