Palliative care and medical assistance in dying
Dale Shutt
Local Journalism Initiative
CAMPBELL’S BAY – In a two-part seminar held at the Golden Age Club on November 22 and 28, Connexions Resource Centre offered workshops aimed at demystifying and better understanding the differences between palliative care, palliative sedation and medical assistance in dying (MAID).
At the first session, facilitator Manon Lafrenière, a private consultant and member of the Association of Bereavement Support Therapists (ATRAAD), asked the group three questions: their definition of death, their fears about dying and their ability to talk about these issues with family members. She then explained the difference between palliative care and palliative sedation.
Palliative Care focuses on treating and relieving suffering and improving quality of life for patients and their families. Palliative care can start as early as a person’s diagnosis or later in their illness. It can occur alongside other types of treatment for the disease.
Palliative Sedation involves administering the least amount of medication necessary to reduce consciousness and relieve severe symptoms in the final days of life. It’s a last resort when other treatments have failed and isn’t intended to hasten death.
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) was the topic of the second session. MAID has been legal in Canada since 2016. To be eligible, patients must have a valid provincial health card, be 18 years or older, be mentally able to give consent, and be suffering from a serious and incurable illness. A request for MAID requires medical assessment by two independent practitioners. A written request must be signed, witnessed and filed.
The original law mandated that immediately before the procedure, applicants must re-confirm consent. In 2021, an amendment allowed individuals whose death is reasonably foreseeable to sign a waiver of final consent after their application has been assessed and approved. Currently, Quebec has the highest rate of medically assisted deaths in the world with 5,211 requests filed in 2023. In October 2024, a new Quebec law was passed allowing a person to make an advance request to receive MAID after they’ve become incapacitated.
Throughout the seminars, Lafrenière emphasized the need for open communication within families who have a loved one facing death from an incurable disease. She outlined programs and assistance available through ATRAAD and provided links to federal and provincial websites with information on palliative care and MAID.
Photo – Bereavement Support Therapist Manon Lafrenière speaks to a group at the Campbell’s Bay Golden Age Club about palliative care, palliative sedation, and MAID. (DS)
