Topic The Will to Live Essays - Medicine, Psychology, Health

Topic: The Will to Live Introduction Attention Getter: We all have experienced at some time or another a family member or a friend s passing or a family member diagnosed with an illness . In regards to the elderly , the will to live is psychologically tough , especially after a loved one. When the elderly is faced with living the rest of their life without their partner, their will to live may decrease. It is at these times that family play an important role. The presence of family can be that tool that will give the grieving elderly, the will to live. Purpose: To inform you of t he importance of how some elderly personnel deal with certain circumstances in reference to facing the passing of a partner or a life threatened illness or disease. Most people don't u nderstand what the elderly have to face in these situations. The will to live can be a very trying time. Importance to the audience: In some cases w ith the elderly , the difference between the wi ll to live or die is an impossible decision. When faced with having to make a choice concerning a life threatening disease or illness, which could put them on the threshold of death even if treatable is overpowering. Thesis S tatement: When it comes to the will to live , decisions can be made in haste. Feeling distressed and confused can make some elderly feel overwhelmed and although family is there to help, for some elderly all they want to do is take one more second , one more minute, one more hour, one more day, one more week , one more mon th , one more time to just to live or either die. BODY First Main Point : A person's belief concerning the w ill to live. Subpoint: The will to live is psychological Subpoint: The will to live is social Subpo int: The will to live takes a physical distress in life EXAMPLE : My elderly neighbor Mr. Potts , who was 85 years old, was a close friend of the family when I was growing up. His wife , Ms. Matt ie, died o f natural causes . They had been married for over 50 years. Because they were so close, I was surprised that he live d for a year after she passed. Soon after Mrs. Mattie died Mr. Potts would sit on his front porch and call h is wife name , like he was talking to her. About a year later he stop eating and drinking fluids in sufficient quantities . That is when I would say , his will to live was no longer there. Second Main Point: The blame game . Subpoint: Believe the will to live i s blamed on God not taking their life Subpoint: The will to live by the stress level Subpoint: The will to live by downward spiral in general health and well-being EXAMPLE: When someone is given news con cerning the possibility that a disease is untreatable o r could take a long time to treat, their first thought could be to start the blame game. Some will blame God for allowing them to either live through the excruciating pain the disease causes, or not taking their life which would eliminate the pain. They could become so stressed that their live to will drops to a level where one would question if they were living at all. Depression could set in and the ability to make everyday decisions about their lives starts to diminish. Some no longer eat or take medicines while others are no longer interested in family or friends. And there are those who simply slide into a state of depression. CONCLUSION : The will to live is hard in certain situations but it's worth it. Many el ders hold on to their love ones, after death, as long as they can. There will be s ome depressing days . There will be th oughts of suicide which make s it hard on everyone. For the elderly who are faced with these decisions or thoughts, they should value and cherish what they have , i.e. family and