Medically Assisted Dying & End of Life Planning

The topic of medically assisted dying has been dominating the headlines since the prohibition on voluntary euthanasia was overturned in February 2015. Canada is now in the company of a very small group of jurisdictions including Belgium and the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington, to permit medically assisted dying. With so many different perspectives and scenarios to consider, there is an item in the news about this topic almost daily. It has certainly sparked a critical discussion about the importance of end-of-life planning. Have you talked about your end-of-life wishes with your loved ones? We’ve explored the evidence related to this topic in the following resources:

Featured Resources

  1. Blog Post: Transitioning to end-of-life care: Communication is key
  2. Blog Post: Advance care planning and intensive care: Planning ahead for your end of life wishes
  3. Web Resource Rating: Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia: The issues
  4. Web Resource Rating: A good death at home: Home palliative care services keep people where they want to be
  5. Evidence Summary: Palliative care and end-of-life needs for hospital patients are not consistently recognized by healthcare professionals
  6. Evidence Summary: Primary care physicians and advanced care plans can help reduce unplanned hospital admission among elderly patients in residential care
  7. Evidence Summary: Family members who make decisions on behalf of dementia patients need support to ensure the decisions reflect the patient’s wishes, preferences and values
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DISCLAIMER: Many of our Blog Posts were written before the COVID-19 pandemic and thus do not necessarily reflect the latest public health recommendations. While the content of these blogs identify activities that support optimal aging, it is important to defer to the most current public health recommendations such as social distancing and frequent hand washing. Some of the activities suggested within these blogs may need to be modified or avoided altogether to comply with current social distancing recommendations. To view the latest updates from the Public Health Agency of Canada, please visit their website. 

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