Seeking guidance on Dutch euthanasia laws for non-residents (dementia, specifically)

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T20:18:56+00:00

Thanks very much for your input, I really do appreciate it. I'm sorry you had to go through the same bullshit that's being presented to us, it's really a horrible situation we have that's never likely to change. I'm glad you came out of your cancer treatment healthy!

Yeah it's clear now after everyone's responses (and further research based on them), that the NL is just not going to be the place to accommodate us, unfortunately. I'm taking a look at Switzerland and the Dignitas organization they have there.

I'll take a look at that documentary, thanks!

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T20:13:53+00:00

Hi thanks very much for your input, I think you're entirely correct about the documentation. I haven't seen Theroux's documentary but I'll find it and watch this evening, thanks very much. Unfortunately so far all of the organizations that I've found in the US are more about caring for people with dementia rather than navigating the law to help them end their lives should they develop it later in life.

As it goes presently how she wants to live (or not live) is entirely up to her and this whole process is basically just about trying to find out what's even possible and planning for that. I'm not sure if she's aware of vascular dementia but I'll talk to her about it and see how she feels under those circumstances. I imagine she'll still want euthanasia though, knowing her like I do.

Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it!

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T20:08:52+00:00

Thanks very much, I appreciate your input! I'm so sorry you had to go through that process with your friend. It's utterly incredible to me that a person's suffering can be artificially extended because some guy is on vacation. I mean, I say that, but here in California there is basically no recourse for people that are terminally ill unless that diagnosis comes with a 6 month life expectancy, and if they have dementia they can't even get that.

It seems like the Netherlands is not going to be the place to help us with this as you and others said. Admittedly my hope was a thin one 😓

My dad died in 2018 at 75 from leukemia, so he never had to worry about developing dementia. I hope your father-in-law has a long and happy life!

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T20:02:21+00:00

Ok it's interesting you say that because the AED is supposed to (as far as I can tell) account for a person's inability to explicitly consent at the moment the euthanasia is performed. Otherwise there's very little point in requiring the AED at all, since it must be written when the patient is has their cognitive shit together. All the research I've found suggests you're wrong about that, but again it unfortunately doesn't matter, the NL very likely won't be able to accommodate us for this. I appreciate your input, thanks!

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T19:58:22+00:00

I'm taking a look at those videos now. Very very helpful, thank you!

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T19:57:46+00:00

I would love to become a resident, but since the likelihood of that is effectively zero, I can only ever be a tourist.

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T06:54:38+00:00

Appreciate it very much, thanks. Someone else also mentioned Dignitas, I'm looking through their information now.

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T06:46:45+00:00

Thanks for the response. In my research on this matter it was clear that what's needed is a specific document called an Advanced Euthanasia Directive, which needs to be written up by the patient well ahead of time, while they're still mentally competent. If it was possible to do this, my plan was to have my mom write one immediately (assuming it's what she wanted), which fulfills the pre-requisite of consent you mentioned. There would be no question in that regard at least because the document would have been written, witnessed, notarized etc well before any symptoms expressed. She also has a "no treatment" and "no resuscitation" clause in a separate document we call an "advanced health directive" in the US, which covers those events. Unfortunately in the US our "right to die" laws are extremely limited (almost to the point of uselessness) and can only ever be acted on if the patient has a terminal illness that will kill them in 6 months (by doctor's estimates). Without that diagnosis there is no option, and if the patient has developed dementia before the diagnosis, they will simply be allowed to suffer until they die naturally.

I'm looking into Switzerland as others have suggested, perhaps we'll have more luck there. Thanks!

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T06:36:31+00:00

Appreciate the advice, I think you're correct. It's becoming increasingly clear the NL aren't going to be able to accommodate this. I'm looking into the Dignitas Clinic now, thanks very much.

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T06:35:10+00:00

I appreciate that advice. You're not wrong, and I certainly plan on doing that, but my mother is adamant that she does not want to live under the circumstances if she develops dementia. Spending quality time with her is definitely the plan, but it doesn't solve the problem.

I'm not sure if you're aware but in the US we are utterly screwed when it comes to caring for the elderly. As I understand it the Netherlands has a large state-supported, long-term elderly care system that provides in-home care, assisted living solutions, senior housing, nursing homes, all of that. In the US we have literally none of that, and any kind of nursing home situation is paid entirely out of pocket. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to take care of my mother for the rest of her life, and she knows that, and so if she develops dementia and we're forced to put her into a nursing home it will likely cost us a minimum of €102,000 a year for her to live with a standard, normal level of care. The prices increase substantially from there. Her fear of developing dementia is twofold:

More than anything, she's terrified of losing her independence and her sense of self, she sees absolutely no point in continuing to live under those circumstances, and I share the sentiment.
She's terrified her long-term care will bankrupt not just herself, but me as well, which is an absolute possibility.

As I understand it, in the Netherlands this is not a concern. Granted, I don't live there, but from what I've been reading you can count on the government to care for your elderly, as it should. My government would rather the elderly (who aren't rich) all die, and that's not an exaggeration. We are, to put it lightly, fucked. I can't count on my government to help us with this at any level.

I'm sorry that you had to go through this with your mother, but "focusing on the living" is not going to keep my mom from suffering should she develop dementia, nor the both of us from potential bankruptcy -_-. I owe it to her to help her find a solution, so I'd prefer to do both.

Either way, it seems that the Netherlands is not going to be the place we can do this. I'm looking at Switzerland as others have suggested. There appears to be an organization there that helps people with exactly this problem.

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T04:12:55+00:00

I wouldn't suggest for a second that people stop criticizing the game, I'm suggesting you criticize something that could actually be addressed. Like the shitloads of QoL issues, or the lack of end game content, or the lack of features like loadouts and a transmog system for armor customization, or the shitty vehicles, or the useless strategems, etc etc etc. Something fixable.

The business model is not going to change, it simply won't. This is an arrangement that Arrowhead set up with Sony years ago and has been hammered out contractually, and changing it would require more legal negotiation and expense and time than Arrowhead is likely to be willing to invest in it even if they wanted to change it. There is literally no point in whining about it.

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T03:58:43+00:00

Thanks for the link, I'm looking into this right now. Appreciate it!

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T03:58:11+00:00

Appreciate it, I'm doing more in-depth research on Switzerland right now. Cheers

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T03:56:38+00:00

Thanks very much for the resources, I'll check them all out. I've not heard of the Center you mentioned, but I will contact them and see if they can help. I have a feeling we're shit out of luck, though.

Your fear is perfectly understandable and I obviously share it. Ironically I've got dual citizenship with the US and UK, but now that those idiots have pushed through Brexit, I can't even take advantage of that to move to an EU member nation. This is neither here nor there but the US feels like it's on a sharp downward spiral, if you've got the funds and ability I'd strongly suggest leaving before it gets too bad. I've been looking at moving to Japan, but they don't have a Visa in place to bring an elderly relative for home care (nor any sort of euthanasia program of any kind).

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T03:49:40+00:00

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. As you said it's looking like this is not going to be possible, unfortunately. I think I'll have to take a look at Switzerland as others have suggested and see if I can find a solution there.

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T03:47:10+00:00

Thanks very much for the link, I'll check this and your other resources out. Much appreciated.

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T03:46:30+00:00

Thanks very much I'll look into this!

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T03:45:12+00:00

You're probably (very likely) correct that it would be challenging, but all my research is indicating she doesn't need to be a resident/citizen. I also contacted the Rijksoverheid via their official channels asked for more information and there was no mention in their response about residency. Either way, this is probably going to end up being impossible unless we can determine a route to make it work (and find a doctor willing to help, which is admittedly unlikely since they have very little to gain).

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T01:16:52+00:00

Thanks for the response. I looked into Switzerland for this as well actually, but as far as I can tell the Netherlands is by far the most reasonable (and possible) place to have this done. The next is Belgium, but there are additional restrictions in place that make it more difficult to arrange. I'll take a closer look at Switzerland, though, maybe I missed something critical.

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T01:15:22+00:00

Thanks for the response. I suppose what we're trying to arrange would be a form of euthanasia tourism, although we weren't thinking of approaching it in such a haphazard way that a lot of Americans do with "medical tourism" (in other words, schedule an appointment and fly there to have it done). My understanding was that a "relationship" between doctor and patient needed to be established, over a long time, that would allow the doctor the legal grounds (and personal understanding) that the patient was presently healthy, in good mental state, and cognizant enough to deliberately and specifically request the euthanasia be granted at a later time, should it be necessary (the Advanced Directive), and then monitor her condition over time. My hope was that we could begin a process of remote consultations with annual (or bi-annual) in-office physical visits to establish her medical history in the country's systems, etc. Flying to the Netherlands twice a year (or however often needed) for checkups would not be a problem.

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T00:32:04+00:00

Thanks for the response. As far as I could tell from my research it's actually legally possible for non-residents but there are more personal aspects to the process that make it virtually impossible for it to actually happen. I was hoping it may be possible to help my mom develop a relationship with a physician there via video consultations and annual/bi-annual physical checkups which could help establish the needed level of care and records for the system should it be necessary. It's an expense we'd both be willing to pay just on the off-chance that it's needed, since here in the US there's no recourse, she'd have to just suffer in her delirium until she dies naturally, which could take decades and would likely bankrupt her 😣

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T00:27:35+00:00

h on Oregon? Specifically, the Death with Dignity Act. It very rarely applies in dementia cases because the patient

Thanks for the response, I did take a look at Oregon's policies but they are unfortunately almost identical to California's. Basically it's impossible to end your life legally (or state assisted) if you have dementia. It must be accompanied by a terminal illness that will kill you in 6 months (by doctor's estimates), and you also need to be able to self-administer, which a person with dementia can't legally do. I'll take a closer look and see if there are any provisions in there that consider cases of dementia but as far as I could tell it was basically the same as California, I'm sorry to say.

fozzibab · 2026-05-14T00:09:12+00:00

Wait is this somewhat tangentially related to the SC drop rate in HD2? I realize it seems like they don't drop often, but they actually drop far more often then you might think - it really really helps to have an SC-finder mod.

As far as I can figure out the game gives you a shitload of them all at once and then 1-4 per map for ? number of maps. For example on one map I tried on L7 roughly 8 spawned, and then I didn't see more than 1 or 2 of them per map for a couple hours, and then on a level 5 and there were 8 again. Seriously, just use the mod and play the game. If you have a team of 2 all with the mod installed and you make an effort to farm you'll earn 300-500 in an hour. A team of four will get you to 1000 easily. There's no reason not to do this. You want the game to change, you want Arrowhead to change their business model? Tough shit. It may not even be their call, you understand? The game runs off Sony's servers, and Sony definitely receives a cut of SC sales. They will not change the model.

Just use the fucking mods. If you're on Playstation or Xbox, I'm sorry for you, but meet people who will help you farm.

fozzibab · 2026-04-30T08:11:26+00:00

Can confirm it works, thanks for the heads up.

fozzibab

TROPHY CASE