I can't believe how little people really understand about this. You all must be really young and you're parents are all active and healthy.
Natural death comes in many forms. Several of which can be long and painful. It's not about suicide or suicide counselors--jeez that is naive.
It's a very simple series of questions that help a person better define quality of life. With some medical conditions, the questions can be more specific regarding pain management.
Nobody is committing suicide. Do you understand that the human body can be kept alive a long time with feeding tubes and life support machines? That is prolonging a natural death--appropriate in certain situations, but in most natural death situations, the patient should decide how much or how little advanced medical care they want.
But with advanced dementia or total incapacitation -- how can they do that? For the most part, we're talking about patients who are mostly non-responsive but can still chew and swallow there own food. Of course you feed them for as long as you can, but what do you when the can't chew and swallow. If there is no medical directive or family--then what else can a state run facility do? Feeding tube. Adult diapers.
The most common natural death is pneumonia. You stop walking, liquid and bacteria form in your lungs, and the 'old person's friend', pneumonia, comes to visit. Now, a hospital can pump you full of antibiotics, lower the pain meds and do hourly breathing treatments so you can have a fighting chance. But what do you suppose happens to the brain during the long painful 'fight' with pneumonia, being deprived of oxygen between the breathing treatments? Mild dementia becomes advanced dementia. You can no longer control bodily functions or communicate, don't recognize anyone or know your name, but you 'beat' the pneumonia.
Are you starting to understand the quality of life issues involved with natural death? Compassion. Dignity. Pain management. All according to the patient's wishes. Are you against that?