Living & Dying: A Love Story
Documentary family film by Sher and Rob Safran (2018, 45 minutes)
An intimate family film documenting the last week of Sher’s parents’ lives. Charlie, a retired surgeon with Parkinson’s, and Francie with heart disease, chose to exit together using Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act.
Film: https://vimeo.com/257939456
Deciding to Die, Then Shown the Door
Article by Paula Span (The New York Times, August 24, 2011)
The article tells the story of Armond and Dorothy Rudolph, a couple in New Mexico who, after years of discussing their end-of-life values, decided to die together before infirmity robbed them of their ability to live independently. They chose to hasten their deaths by voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED). Four days into their VSED fast, they received an eviction notice—for the next day—from the assisted living facility where they resided.
https://newoldage.blogs.nytimes. com/2011/08/24/deciding-to-die-then-shown-the-door/
Right of Way
Film directed by George Schaefer (1983, 102 minutes)
Bette Davis and James Stewart portray an elderly long-married couple who must deal with their daughter’s and then society’s reaction to their decision to take control after one of them is diagnosed with a terminal illness. The film is a little dated, but some things don’t change, and this made-for-television movie explores how private decisions can suddenly become everyone else’s business.
Film: Ask your library or search YouTube for “Right of Way 1983”.
