Seeing famous actors e.g. Robin Williams, and Bruce Willis suffering from dementia made me wonder in later stages do the people still aware of death? We all know death because we know the process we learn from or it’s just that we instinctively aware of it?
It already is an option in certain states in the US and I think parts of Europe.
The problem with assisted suicide, at least in my country, is that at the point where you’re no longer aware of your surroundings, you can’t legally consent to anything anymore.
You can get notarized instructions while you’re still sound telling everyone to just off you when you get too bad, but when you forget you ever did that and become scared our of your mind that they’re trying to kill you, caregivers might not follow your instructions.
Many people have indicated their wish for euthanasia to friends and family, but without the legal paperwork, you’re not getting euthanized. This is why it’s important to get this stuff on paper (as young as in your 40s or earlier, early onset dementia can happen!). You also need to keep this stuff updated, if you write down you want to be euthanized if you develop dementia when you’re 60 but only start developing symptoms at 90, that 30 year old document may not be sufficient.
In the end, the paperwork is there to protect the doctor from murder charges, which will refuse to euthanize you if they believe you don’t want to be euthanized.
In some cases, family members may also protest (“you’re not killing my mom/dad!” and calling the police) if they disagree with your choice. I believe it’s possible to mitigate this beforehand through further paperwork, but you’ll have to make sure everyone either agrees with your decision or indicate which family members get power of attorney or things become complicated quickly.
When it comes to euthanizing the elderly if they can’t consent anymore, there’s a lot of red tape. Nobody wants “government death panels” (as some American media likes to call euthanasia). The same problems also exist with children born with extreme disabilities or endless suffering through disease, though they usually have two parents who can make the decision.
Your local laws may differ, but there’s no clean euthanasia for someone unaware of the concept of it, or who has forgotten they ever consented. Imagine if someone showed up with a piece of paper you supposedly signed, telling you that they’re there to end you, because of some disease you’ve never heard of but don’t think you have. There’s no way you wouldn’t at least try to run away!