Choosing to stop dialysis

I know there has been a lot written about assisted suicide, but this is in the category of a patient choosing to forgo treatment when he or she knows it will lead to death. It comes from a friend who writes about a relative, noting, "I think this is an interesting situation, with a lot of moral threads hanging from it." There are no children involved or living parents.

M (age in mid-60s) is stopping dialysis because his quality of life is too sucky for him to want to continue. He is legally blind and can't read or watch movies for more than a short time per day. As far as I know there is no physical pain. He did have a long time dealing with infection from a botched surgery, about a year, which might be influencing his thinking, but I don't know.

I have mixed feelings. He is relatively young, but I know you join me in wishing him the least painful way out.

Neither I, nor you, dear readers, have a right to judge the actions of the patient. (Remember that Art Buchwald did the same thing?) Perhaps, though, we can offer advice to my friend as to how to handle the situation now and afterward, for he feels he will have to explain to other friends and relatives that he knew what was coming but could not reveal it.