TY - JOUR T1 - Assisted dying: we all need to be happier to help JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 415 LP - 415 DO - 10.3399/bjgp15X686161 VL - 65 IS - 637 AU - Peter Aird Y1 - 2015/08/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/65/637/415.abstract N2 - I recently read an interview given by the novelist Joanna Trollope who, speaking in favour of assisted dying, commented that, if necessary, she would take her own life were she to develop dementia. Hating the thought of becoming a ‘nuisance’, she said: ‘I have no intention of moving in with either of my daughters and ruining their lives.’1Such an attitude has implications for how we care for our patients. People in need who come to those in the caring professions are not simply nuisances who ruin the lives of those burdened with their care. Rather, they are those whose lives still have meaning and value despite the struggles they face. Furthermore, their lives have the potential to enrich, rather than ruin, the lives of those who care for them.This is not to say that we should hope for hardships to befall others so that we can be needed. Nor am I trying to suggest that there is some perverse beauty in suffering. No — suffering is suffering and it is horrible — frequently terribly so. But suffering is a part of our human existence and must not be swept under the carpet with the assistance of, as Trollope suggests: ‘ ... a nice man … ER -