Nic and Trees Elderhorst, who were both 91 years old, gave each other a last kiss before they died in the company of family and friends in their home in Didan, in the Netherlands, on 4 June.
Nic had suffered a stroke in 2012 which greatly decreased his mobility and meant he was in constant pain. Trees’ health had also diminished, and it became harder to care for her husband. In addition, her memory had also declined, and she was worried that she could no longer provide him with the care he needed.
Though they had the help of friends, family and neighbours, they were afraid that if one of them died, the other’s health would collapse in a care home.
According to the UK Independent, under current Dutch law, euthanasia by doctors is only legal under very strict circumstances. The patient has to prove their case is one of “hopeless and unbearable suffering,” and usually means a serious medical condition.
After Nic’s stroke, Trees was diagnosed with vascular dementia,the couple decided to sign a euthanasia will and looked at how they could end their lives under the law.
The geriatrician determined that our mother was still mentally competent. However, if our father were to die, she could become completely disoriented, ending up in a nursing home, something which she desperately did not want,” a daughter told local news,
“Dying together was their deepest wish.”
Despite the legality of euthanasia, the couple had to spend six months with an ‘End of Life clinic’ where they were assessed separately by two teams of health professionals – including psychologists and psychotherapists as well as doctors – to confirm that they wanted to die.
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