There is brain damage, severe enough to render the individual unresponsive and unable to feel or communicate in any way. There is no reasonable chance for recovery by all generally accepted medical standards. The patient has irretrievably lost the ability to meaningfully appreciate, understand, and communicate appropriately. The following scenarios apply to conditions that, while terminal, do not render the person comatose or in a permanent vegetative state. In these conditions the end of life is near but not imminent.
Active intervention is unlikely to improve the length or quality of life materially.
In this person, brain damage has been present for a while, such as with severe Alzheimer's disease or multiple strokes. The individual is mostly confused, is totally dependent, and has irretrievably lost the qualities which characterized the individual as a person. It is any condition with total loss of ability to communicate that renders the patient totally and permanently dependent upon others for feeding, personal hygiene, and all daily activities. Dialysis is either not indicated or unlikely to improve the quality or length of life or has been instituted and has not been effective End-stage nervous disorder with near complete total body paralysis, near total dependence with no hope for improvement. These individuals are particularly susceptible to bone fractures, pneumonia, heart attacks, and strokes.