Dying with dignity or Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) is a hotly debated topic, particularly when it comes to people suffering from dementia. The right to choose and the ability to make an informed choice form the backbone of the debate.

Now, one man has shared his deeply personal story of his mother-in-law’s experience with terminal illness and why she chose to die with dignity.

Michael Bachelard, a Senior Writer and Former Deputy Chief Editor of the news publication The Age, brought this important topic to light.

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was a young trainee nurse in the 1960s when she came across an elderly patient in a hospital. According to her, the patient was close to death and could not speak. However, whenever the patient moved, she let out a sound that she described as ‘pathetic mewling’.

The distressing sound, which his mother-in-law described as one of pain and lack of dignity – horrified the young trainee nurse. Since then, she has tried to avoid the same fate.

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was determined to avoid her former patient’s fate. Credit: Mario Wallner/Pexels

As his mother-in-law grew older, she became interested in the concept of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), inspired by Dr Rodney Syme, Victoria’s Chief Advocate for VAD.

According to Mr Bachelard, his mother-in-law ‘badgered’ the family to never allow her to reach the state her former patient was in.

When Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and her health began to worsen, she sought out the lethal dose permit under Victorian Law.

‘At 82, gratefully, she slipped into unconsciousness and never woke up,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

Dr Syme, touted as ‘one of the godfathers of Australia’s Voluntary Assisted Dying’, expressed in one of his unfinished manuscripts that VAD be extended to the ‘frail aged’ who he believed had a ‘completed life’ and those suffering from dementia.

Dr Syme was writing his book while simultaneously caring for his wife, who was suffering from dementia. Credit: Pixabay/Pexels

‘In his manuscript, he describes being taken to see a woman living in a nursing home with late-stage dementia,’ Mr Bachelard explained.

According to Mr Bachelard, Dr Syme wrote that ‘Mrs V’ was immobile, and half of her previous body weight and her limbs had started to ‘curl in on themselves’.

Due to the complexity of the illness, the patient’s flexor muscles had ‘overcome’ the weaker extensors and pushed her fingers so hard into her palms that it was in danger of lacerating the skin.

Dr Syme’s manuscript described the patient with her mouth hanging agape, her eyes wide open but blank. He also said that she was ‘doubly incontinent and had bedsore the size of a small plate’, which had eroded down to the bone.

In one instance, carers moved her to clean her up, and they accidentally pulled on her contracted limbs. Dr Syme wrote that Mrs V’s face contorted in pain. She grimaced and let out short groans and squeals of agony.

‘These are the only sounds she makes in the four hours of observation. Sounds of pain and distress. They are her only ways of communication,’ said Dr Syme in his manuscript.

What is Voluntary Assisted Dying? Image Credit: The Seniors Discount Club

The VAD legislation allows a person to alleviate their own suffering when it becomes unbearable, and death is ‘likely to occur’ within six months. In essence, the law is put in place to give ‘comfort’ in knowing that everyone has some control over the way they pass on.

However, VAD remains illegal in some cities in Australia. In a recent survey by the SDC, community members weighed in on the question: ‘Should Voluntary Assisted Dying be legal in all Australian states/territories?’

A whopping 86.4 per cent voted ‘yes’, and 10.6 per cent said ‘no’.

Members who were in support of VAD legislation being legalised everywhere explained their stances.

Member @NotNats said: ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying is the right of every Australian citizen.’

Member @John.RS agreed, saying: ‘This comment is totally correct and describes what we all face; our inevitable death. I have witnessed first-hand the passing of a person that every step had been taken to extend their life when all they wanted to do was to end their pain and suffering.’

Those against the legalisation of VAD across the country also expressed their opinions in the comments.

Member @Catsy said: ‘I have always been against it, can't help it, it is just the way I feel. What if something happens that could change the situation?’

Member @Staffordshire Whippet also replied: ‘If Saint Peter hates queue-jumpers as much as I do, that is enough to stop me doing it.’

You can read the rest of the poll results here.

In line with this, when doctors are taught what to look for in a prospective VAD recipient, they are told that a key trigger is the ‘fear of loss of cognitive function/inability to make decisions – fear of dependency’.

‘But VAD is not available to sufferers of dementia, one of the most dire and fearful diagnoses of all,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

‘And no form of caregiving is more damaging to the carer’s health than caring for a person living with late-stage dementia. They become isolated, physically and emotionally overwhelmed,’ he continued.

Mr Bachelard said that dementia accounts for almost 10 per cent of all deaths in the country. It’s also the second leading cause of death after coronary heart disease.

‘It’s not quick. People with dementia can live for a decade or more and then die slowly of its side effects – starvation, infection, pneumonia – long after they’ve lost the mental capacity to request and take the VAD medication,’ he claimed.

He also added that while someone suffering from dementia can sign an advanced care plan to explain how they want to be treated as their health declines, they cannot request VAD in that plan.

Key Takeaways

• Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law chose to die with dignity using Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) due to a terminal lung cancer diagnosis, avoiding the pain she witnessed in an elderly patient with dementia.
• Dr Rodney Syme, a Chief Advocate for VAD in Victoria, Australia, wished for the extension of VAD to those dying of dementia and frail aged individuals with a 'completed life'.
• Current VAD laws do not cover dementia sufferers, leaving those diagnosed with the condition to face a slow and painful decline without the option to end their suffering.

Seniors Discount Club members, we want to hear your thoughts and experiences on end-of-life care and the current VAD laws. Have you or someone close to you faced this issue? When the time comes, would you prefer to have VAD as an option? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

[Powhatan]

I'm all for it. If you have no quality of life. quantity does not matter. why let people suffer. It is also hard to see loved ones wasting away slowly. My wife of 35 years is in a nursing home with demantia.she wants to go. It breaks my heart to see her like this. She has a strong heart so it could take years, but at what quality.

 

[lynstacker]

Dying with dignity or Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) is a hotly debated topic, particularly when it comes to people suffering from dementia. The right to choose and the ability to make an informed choice form the backbone of the debate.

Now, one man has shared his deeply personal story of his mother-in-law’s experience with terminal illness and why she chose to die with dignity.

Michael Bachelard, a Senior Writer and Former Deputy Chief Editor of the news publication The Age, brought this important topic to light.

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was a young trainee nurse in the 1960s when she came across an elderly patient in a hospital. According to her, the patient was close to death and could not speak. However, whenever the patient moved, she let out a sound that she described as ‘pathetic mewling’.

The distressing sound, which his mother-in-law described as one of pain and lack of dignity – horrified the young trainee nurse. Since then, she has tried to avoid the same fate.

View attachment 19459

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was determined to avoid her former patient’s fate. Credit: Mario Wallner/Pexels

As his mother-in-law grew older, she became interested in the concept of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), inspired by Dr Rodney Syme, Victoria’s Chief Advocate for VAD.

According to Mr Bachelard, his mother-in-law ‘badgered’ the family to never allow her to reach the state her former patient was in.

When Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and her health began to worsen, she sought out the lethal dose permit under Victorian Law.

‘At 82, gratefully, she slipped into unconsciousness and never woke up,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

Dr Syme, touted as ‘one of the godfathers of Australia’s Voluntary Assisted Dying’, expressed in one of his unfinished manuscripts that VAD be extended to the ‘frail aged’ who he believed had a ‘completed life’ and those suffering from dementia.

View attachment 19460

Dr Syme was writing his book while simultaneously caring for his wife, who was suffering from dementia. Credit: Pixabay/Pexels

‘In his manuscript, he describes being taken to see a woman living in a nursing home with late-stage dementia,’ Mr Bachelard explained.

According to Mr Bachelard, Dr Syme wrote that ‘Mrs V’ was immobile, and half of her previous body weight and her limbs had started to ‘curl in on themselves’.

Due to the complexity of the illness, the patient’s flexor muscles had ‘overcome’ the weaker extensors and pushed her fingers so hard into her palms that it was in danger of lacerating the skin.

Dr Syme’s manuscript described the patient with her mouth hanging agape, her eyes wide open but blank. He also said that she was ‘doubly incontinent and had bedsore the size of a small plate’, which had eroded down to the bone.

In one instance, carers moved her to clean her up, and they accidentally pulled on her contracted limbs. Dr Syme wrote that Mrs V’s face contorted in pain. She grimaced and let out short groans and squeals of agony.

‘These are the only sounds she makes in the four hours of observation. Sounds of pain and distress. They are her only ways of communication,’ said Dr Syme in his manuscript.

View attachment 19469

What is Voluntary Assisted Dying? Image Credit: The Seniors Discount Club

The VAD legislation allows a person to alleviate their own suffering when it becomes unbearable, and death is ‘likely to occur’ within six months. In essence, the law is put in place to give ‘comfort’ in knowing that everyone has some control over the way they pass on.

However, VAD remains illegal in some cities in Australia. In a recent survey by the SDC, community members weighed in on the question: ‘Should Voluntary Assisted Dying be legal in all Australian states/territories?’

A whopping 86.4 per cent voted ‘yes’, and 10.6 per cent said ‘no’.

Members who were in support of VAD legislation being legalised everywhere explained their stances.

Member @NotNats said: ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying is the right of every Australian citizen.’

Member @John.RS agreed, saying: ‘This comment is totally correct and describes what we all face; our inevitable death. I have witnessed first-hand the passing of a person that every step had been taken to extend their life when all they wanted to do was to end their pain and suffering.’

Those against the legalisation of VAD across the country also expressed their opinions in the comments.

Member @Catsy said: ‘I have always been against it, can't help it, it is just the way I feel. What if something happens that could change the situation?’

Member @Staffordshire Whippet also replied: ‘If Saint Peter hates queue-jumpers as much as I do, that is enough to stop me doing it.’

You can read the rest of the poll results here.

In line with this, when doctors are taught what to look for in a prospective VAD recipient, they are told that a key trigger is the ‘fear of loss of cognitive function/inability to make decisions – fear of dependency’.

‘But VAD is not available to sufferers of dementia, one of the most dire and fearful diagnoses of all,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

‘And no form of caregiving is more damaging to the carer’s health than caring for a person living with late-stage dementia. They become isolated, physically and emotionally overwhelmed,’ he continued.

Mr Bachelard said that dementia accounts for almost 10 per cent of all deaths in the country. It’s also the second leading cause of death after coronary heart disease.

‘It’s not quick. People with dementia can live for a decade or more and then die slowly of its side effects – starvation, infection, pneumonia – long after they’ve lost the mental capacity to request and take the VAD medication,’ he claimed.

He also added that while someone suffering from dementia can sign an advanced care plan to explain how they want to be treated as their health declines, they cannot request VAD in that plan.

Key Takeaways

• Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law chose to die with dignity using Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) due to a terminal lung cancer diagnosis, avoiding the pain she witnessed in an elderly patient with dementia.
• Dr Rodney Syme, a Chief Advocate for VAD in Victoria, Australia, wished for the extension of VAD to those dying of dementia and frail aged individuals with a 'completed life'.
• Current VAD laws do not cover dementia sufferers, leaving those diagnosed with the condition to face a slow and painful decline without the option to end their suffering.

Seniors Discount Club members, we want to hear your thoughts and experiences on end-of-life care and the current VAD laws. Have you or someone close to you faced this issue? When the time comes, would you prefer to have VAD as an option? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

I believe it is every person's right to choose to depart this life as they see fit. The take home foe me is to get your wishes in order early. I have seen first hand the suffering that comes with advanced age, declining function & being kept alive because something "might" change. We are prolonging the inevitable and causing unnecessary suffering. In the words of John Mellencamp: "life goes on long after the thrill of living is gone".

 

[elaine41]

What I see here verges on Nazi-ism. The old are no longer productive, they drain out medical services, they take up beds in nursing homes, so let's get rid of them. Anyone with dementia cannot make an informed decision about how their life ends so let's make the decision for them & kill them now.
I do not want to commit suicide to end my life & I would NEVER ask a Dr to go against his oath to preserve life by asking him/her to end my life (murder). If I live to the point where I have dementia (hope I don't) then my life is precious until God takes me home to be with Him in His time.

 

[gagde]

Voluntary Assisted Dying should be a right in this day and age. We now have treatments that can keep us alive until that magic pill comes along, and keeps us alive for another five years. We should let our doctor know our decision, and record it.

 

[Benny's Light]

Dying with dignity or Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) is a hotly debated topic, particularly when it comes to people suffering from dementia. The right to choose and the ability to make an informed choice form the backbone of the debate.

Now, one man has shared his deeply personal story of his mother-in-law’s experience with terminal illness and why she chose to die with dignity.

Michael Bachelard, a Senior Writer and Former Deputy Chief Editor of the news publication The Age, brought this important topic to light.

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was a young trainee nurse in the 1960s when she came across an elderly patient in a hospital. According to her, the patient was close to death and could not speak. However, whenever the patient moved, she let out a sound that she described as ‘pathetic mewling’.

The distressing sound, which his mother-in-law described as one of pain and lack of dignity – horrified the young trainee nurse. Since then, she has tried to avoid the same fate.

View attachment 19459

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was determined to avoid her former patient’s fate. Credit: Mario Wallner/Pexels

As his mother-in-law grew older, she became interested in the concept of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), inspired by Dr Rodney Syme, Victoria’s Chief Advocate for VAD.

According to Mr Bachelard, his mother-in-law ‘badgered’ the family to never allow her to reach the state her former patient was in.

When Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and her health began to worsen, she sought out the lethal dose permit under Victorian Law.

‘At 82, gratefully, she slipped into unconsciousness and never woke up,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

Dr Syme, touted as ‘one of the godfathers of Australia’s Voluntary Assisted Dying’, expressed in one of his unfinished manuscripts that VAD be extended to the ‘frail aged’ who he believed had a ‘completed life’ and those suffering from dementia.

View attachment 19460

Dr Syme was writing his book while simultaneously caring for his wife, who was suffering from dementia. Credit: Pixabay/Pexels

‘In his manuscript, he describes being taken to see a woman living in a nursing home with late-stage dementia,’ Mr Bachelard explained.

According to Mr Bachelard, Dr Syme wrote that ‘Mrs V’ was immobile, and half of her previous body weight and her limbs had started to ‘curl in on themselves’.

Due to the complexity of the illness, the patient’s flexor muscles had ‘overcome’ the weaker extensors and pushed her fingers so hard into her palms that it was in danger of lacerating the skin.

Dr Syme’s manuscript described the patient with her mouth hanging agape, her eyes wide open but blank. He also said that she was ‘doubly incontinent and had bedsore the size of a small plate’, which had eroded down to the bone.

In one instance, carers moved her to clean her up, and they accidentally pulled on her contracted limbs. Dr Syme wrote that Mrs V’s face contorted in pain. She grimaced and let out short groans and squeals of agony.

‘These are the only sounds she makes in the four hours of observation. Sounds of pain and distress. They are her only ways of communication,’ said Dr Syme in his manuscript.

View attachment 19469

What is Voluntary Assisted Dying? Image Credit: The Seniors Discount Club

The VAD legislation allows a person to alleviate their own suffering when it becomes unbearable, and death is ‘likely to occur’ within six months. In essence, the law is put in place to give ‘comfort’ in knowing that everyone has some control over the way they pass on.

However, VAD remains illegal in some cities in Australia. In a recent survey by the SDC, community members weighed in on the question: ‘Should Voluntary Assisted Dying be legal in all Australian states/territories?’

A whopping 86.4 per cent voted ‘yes’, and 10.6 per cent said ‘no’.

Members who were in support of VAD legislation being legalised everywhere explained their stances.

Member @NotNats said: ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying is the right of every Australian citizen.’

Member @John.RS agreed, saying: ‘This comment is totally correct and describes what we all face; our inevitable death. I have witnessed first-hand the passing of a person that every step had been taken to extend their life when all they wanted to do was to end their pain and suffering.’

Those against the legalisation of VAD across the country also expressed their opinions in the comments.

Member @Catsy said: ‘I have always been against it, can't help it, it is just the way I feel. What if something happens that could change the situation?’

Member @Staffordshire Whippet also replied: ‘If Saint Peter hates queue-jumpers as much as I do, that is enough to stop me doing it.’

You can read the rest of the poll results here.

In line with this, when doctors are taught what to look for in a prospective VAD recipient, they are told that a key trigger is the ‘fear of loss of cognitive function/inability to make decisions – fear of dependency’.

‘But VAD is not available to sufferers of dementia, one of the most dire and fearful diagnoses of all,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

‘And no form of caregiving is more damaging to the carer’s health than caring for a person living with late-stage dementia. They become isolated, physically and emotionally overwhelmed,’ he continued.

Mr Bachelard said that dementia accounts for almost 10 per cent of all deaths in the country. It’s also the second leading cause of death after coronary heart disease.

‘It’s not quick. People with dementia can live for a decade or more and then die slowly of its side effects – starvation, infection, pneumonia – long after they’ve lost the mental capacity to request and take the VAD medication,’ he claimed.

He also added that while someone suffering from dementia can sign an advanced care plan to explain how they want to be treated as their health declines, they cannot request VAD in that plan.

Key Takeaways

• Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law chose to die with dignity using Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) due to a terminal lung cancer diagnosis, avoiding the pain she witnessed in an elderly patient with dementia.
• Dr Rodney Syme, a Chief Advocate for VAD in Victoria, Australia, wished for the extension of VAD to those dying of dementia and frail aged individuals with a 'completed life'.
• Current VAD laws do not cover dementia sufferers, leaving those diagnosed with the condition to face a slow and painful decline without the option to end their suffering.

Seniors Discount Club members, we want to hear your thoughts and experiences on end-of-life care and the current VAD laws. Have you or someone close to you faced this issue? When the time comes, would you prefer to have VAD as an option? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

[Benny's Light]

When so close to the end it is a dignified way of not prolonging the inevitable approaching end. After watching my mother, father, step mother, step father and brother suffering so much in their final days letting them drift (through some assistance) is a kinder humane way of ending of life peacefully. I believe in these circumstances (as much as you don't want to let them go) is the kindest and dignified to pass. Until you experience the pain and suffering right at the end it is hard to imagine. I cannot express the words of how awful this is.

I few months ago our 17 year old dog became very sick. We knew he was towards the end of his life. At the Vet hospital we saw there was little hope and that he was fading very quickly and suffering but it could go on for days and days. We let him go comfortably rather than prolong his suffering which would result in the same - his passing. It was the hardest thing to do, but after watching the awful few last days of my parents and brother's life I wish that we could have eased this in the same way and have that option.

I never thought before these experiences that I would agree with end of life assisted dying but I honestly believe in this option. If we can do this for our pets (who are family) then why not for our human loved ones. My only one proviso is when there is no more hope and it is right toward the end, after all options are exhausted and it has become pain and suffering and that the inevitable is close, then this is the kindest thing that we can do to help pass in peace. I know not everyone agrees with this but it is have I feel after awful end of life experiences.

 

[Ricci]

I already have my own dying kit ready to use and I change and update it on a regular basis. Knowing it is there ready to use is a comfort and surprisingly also a spur to find other methods to overcome whatever is going on in my life at any given moment.
I am a firm believer in people having the right to decide when enough is enough and the right to die with dignity. No-one knows what is truly going on in another's life, nor what they are able to endure, so how are they to know what is best for that person.

 

[Staffordshire Whippet]

Fact: For Voluntary Assisted Dying to be lawful, two elements are required
(a) that the law be enacted in the first place; and
(b) that the procedure be carried out with the Informed Consent of the person seeking to end their own life.
A Dementia patient simply is not capable of giving Informed Consent.
Any other person representing otherwise is essentially proposing Voluntary Assisted Killing, i.e., Murder.

Opinion: I've already stated that if St Peter abhors queue-jumpers as much as I do, anyone considering VAD should think very hard about how they'll spend Eternity. I suspect that St Peter will have even less tolerance for Murderers.

 

[elaine41]

When so close to the end it is a dignified way of not prolonging the inevitable approaching end. After watching my mother, father, step mother, step father and brother suffering so much in their final days letting them drift (through some assistance) is a kinder humane way of ending of life peacefully. I believe in these circumstances (as much as you don't want to let them go) is the kindest and dignified to pass. Until you experience the pain and suffering right at the end it is hard to imagine. I cannot express the words of how awful this is.

I few months ago our 17 year old dog became very sick. We knew he was towards the end of his life. At the Vet hospital we saw there was little hope and that he was fading very quickly and suffering but it could go on for days and days. We let him go comfortably rather than prolong his suffering which would result in the same - his passing. It was the hardest thing to do, but after watching the awful few last days of my parents and brother's life I wish that we could have eased this in the same way and have that option.

I never thought before these experiences that I would agree with end of life assisted dying but I honestly believe in this option. If we can do this for our pets (who are family) then why not for our human loved ones. My only one proviso is when there is no more hope and it is right toward the end, after all options are exhausted and it has become pain and suffering and that the inevitable is close, then this is the kindest thing that we can do to help pass in peace. I know not everyone agrees with this but it is have I feel after awful end of life experiences.

My dogs (I love them dearly) are not my family. They are my pets. My family have 2 legs, my pets have 4 lets. Please do not liken my right to life to that of a dog. I, too, have had to euthanise my pets but to suggest that I should "put my mother/father/brother/sister/son/daughter down" the same way is horrendous to me.

 

[Bevin30]

Dying with dignity or Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) is a hotly debated topic, particularly when it comes to people suffering from dementia. The right to choose and the ability to make an informed choice form the backbone of the debate.

Now, one man has shared his deeply personal story of his mother-in-law’s experience with terminal illness and why she chose to die with dignity.

Michael Bachelard, a Senior Writer and Former Deputy Chief Editor of the news publication The Age, brought this important topic to light.

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was a young trainee nurse in the 1960s when she came across an elderly patient in a hospital. According to her, the patient was close to death and could not speak. However, whenever the patient moved, she let out a sound that she described as ‘pathetic mewling’.

The distressing sound, which his mother-in-law described as one of pain and lack of dignity – horrified the young trainee nurse. Since then, she has tried to avoid the same fate.

View attachment 19459

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was determined to avoid her former patient’s fate. Credit: Mario Wallner/Pexels

As his mother-in-law grew older, she became interested in the concept of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), inspired by Dr Rodney Syme, Victoria’s Chief Advocate for VAD.

According to Mr Bachelard, his mother-in-law ‘badgered’ the family to never allow her to reach the state her former patient was in.

When Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and her health began to worsen, she sought out the lethal dose permit under Victorian Law.

‘At 82, gratefully, she slipped into unconsciousness and never woke up,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

Dr Syme, touted as ‘one of the godfathers of Australia’s Voluntary Assisted Dying’, expressed in one of his unfinished manuscripts that VAD be extended to the ‘frail aged’ who he believed had a ‘completed life’ and those suffering from dementia.

View attachment 19460

Dr Syme was writing his book while simultaneously caring for his wife, who was suffering from dementia. Credit: Pixabay/Pexels

‘In his manuscript, he describes being taken to see a woman living in a nursing home with late-stage dementia,’ Mr Bachelard explained.

According to Mr Bachelard, Dr Syme wrote that ‘Mrs V’ was immobile, and half of her previous body weight and her limbs had started to ‘curl in on themselves’.

Due to the complexity of the illness, the patient’s flexor muscles had ‘overcome’ the weaker extensors and pushed her fingers so hard into her palms that it was in danger of lacerating the skin.

Dr Syme’s manuscript described the patient with her mouth hanging agape, her eyes wide open but blank. He also said that she was ‘doubly incontinent and had bedsore the size of a small plate’, which had eroded down to the bone.

In one instance, carers moved her to clean her up, and they accidentally pulled on her contracted limbs. Dr Syme wrote that Mrs V’s face contorted in pain. She grimaced and let out short groans and squeals of agony.

‘These are the only sounds she makes in the four hours of observation. Sounds of pain and distress. They are her only ways of communication,’ said Dr Syme in his manuscript.

View attachment 19469

What is Voluntary Assisted Dying? Image Credit: The Seniors Discount Club

The VAD legislation allows a person to alleviate their own suffering when it becomes unbearable, and death is ‘likely to occur’ within six months. In essence, the law is put in place to give ‘comfort’ in knowing that everyone has some control over the way they pass on.

However, VAD remains illegal in some cities in Australia. In a recent survey by the SDC, community members weighed in on the question: ‘Should Voluntary Assisted Dying be legal in all Australian states/territories?’

A whopping 86.4 per cent voted ‘yes’, and 10.6 per cent said ‘no’.

Members who were in support of VAD legislation being legalised everywhere explained their stances.

Member @NotNats said: ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying is the right of every Australian citizen.’

Member @John.RS agreed, saying: ‘This comment is totally correct and describes what we all face; our inevitable death. I have witnessed first-hand the passing of a person that every step had been taken to extend their life when all they wanted to do was to end their pain and suffering.’

Those against the legalisation of VAD across the country also expressed their opinions in the comments.

Member @Catsy said: ‘I have always been against it, can't help it, it is just the way I feel. What if something happens that could change the situation?’

Member @Staffordshire Whippet also replied: ‘If Saint Peter hates queue-jumpers as much as I do, that is enough to stop me doing it.’

You can read the rest of the poll results here.

In line with this, when doctors are taught what to look for in a prospective VAD recipient, they are told that a key trigger is the ‘fear of loss of cognitive function/inability to make decisions – fear of dependency’.

‘But VAD is not available to sufferers of dementia, one of the most dire and fearful diagnoses of all,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

‘And no form of caregiving is more damaging to the carer’s health than caring for a person living with late-stage dementia. They become isolated, physically and emotionally overwhelmed,’ he continued.

Mr Bachelard said that dementia accounts for almost 10 per cent of all deaths in the country. It’s also the second leading cause of death after coronary heart disease.

‘It’s not quick. People with dementia can live for a decade or more and then die slowly of its side effects – starvation, infection, pneumonia – long after they’ve lost the mental capacity to request and take the VAD medication,’ he claimed.

He also added that while someone suffering from dementia can sign an advanced care plan to explain how they want to be treated as their health declines, they cannot request VAD in that plan.

Key Takeaways

• Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law chose to die with dignity using Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) due to a terminal lung cancer diagnosis, avoiding the pain she witnessed in an elderly patient with dementia.
• Dr Rodney Syme, a Chief Advocate for VAD in Victoria, Australia, wished for the extension of VAD to those dying of dementia and frail aged individuals with a 'completed life'.
• Current VAD laws do not cover dementia sufferers, leaving those diagnosed with the condition to face a slow and painful decline without the option to end their suffering.

Seniors Discount Club members, we want to hear your thoughts and experiences on end-of-life care and the current VAD laws. Have you or someone close to you faced this issue? When the time comes, would you prefer to have VAD as an option? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

VAD should be freely available to anyone having a terminal illness or is over 90 years old if they earnestly request it.

 

[Bevin30]

VAD should be freely available to anyone having a terminal illness or is over 90 years of age if they sincerely request it.

 

[Sockjoan]

Dying with dignity or Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) is a hotly debated topic, particularly when it comes to people suffering from dementia. The right to choose and the ability to make an informed choice form the backbone of the debate.

Now, one man has shared his deeply personal story of his mother-in-law’s experience with terminal illness and why she chose to die with dignity.

Michael Bachelard, a Senior Writer and Former Deputy Chief Editor of the news publication The Age, brought this important topic to light.

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was a young trainee nurse in the 1960s when she came across an elderly patient in a hospital. According to her, the patient was close to death and could not speak. However, whenever the patient moved, she let out a sound that she described as ‘pathetic mewling’.

The distressing sound, which his mother-in-law described as one of pain and lack of dignity – horrified the young trainee nurse. Since then, she has tried to avoid the same fate.

View attachment 19459

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was determined to avoid her former patient’s fate. Credit: Mario Wallner/Pexels

As his mother-in-law grew older, she became interested in the concept of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), inspired by Dr Rodney Syme, Victoria’s Chief Advocate for VAD.

According to Mr Bachelard, his mother-in-law ‘badgered’ the family to never allow her to reach the state her former patient was in.

When Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and her health began to worsen, she sought out the lethal dose permit under Victorian Law.

‘At 82, gratefully, she slipped into unconsciousness and never woke up,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

Dr Syme, touted as ‘one of the godfathers of Australia’s Voluntary Assisted Dying’, expressed in one of his unfinished manuscripts that VAD be extended to the ‘frail aged’ who he believed had a ‘completed life’ and those suffering from dementia.

View attachment 19460

Dr Syme was writing his book while simultaneously caring for his wife, who was suffering from dementia. Credit: Pixabay/Pexels

‘In his manuscript, he describes being taken to see a woman living in a nursing home with late-stage dementia,’ Mr Bachelard explained.

According to Mr Bachelard, Dr Syme wrote that ‘Mrs V’ was immobile, and half of her previous body weight and her limbs had started to ‘curl in on themselves’.

Due to the complexity of the illness, the patient’s flexor muscles had ‘overcome’ the weaker extensors and pushed her fingers so hard into her palms that it was in danger of lacerating the skin.

Dr Syme’s manuscript described the patient with her mouth hanging agape, her eyes wide open but blank. He also said that she was ‘doubly incontinent and had bedsore the size of a small plate’, which had eroded down to the bone.

In one instance, carers moved her to clean her up, and they accidentally pulled on her contracted limbs. Dr Syme wrote that Mrs V’s face contorted in pain. She grimaced and let out short groans and squeals of agony.

‘These are the only sounds she makes in the four hours of observation. Sounds of pain and distress. They are her only ways of communication,’ said Dr Syme in his manuscript.

View attachment 19469

What is Voluntary Assisted Dying? Image Credit: The Seniors Discount Club

The VAD legislation allows a person to alleviate their own suffering when it becomes unbearable, and death is ‘likely to occur’ within six months. In essence, the law is put in place to give ‘comfort’ in knowing that everyone has some control over the way they pass on.

However, VAD remains illegal in some cities in Australia. In a recent survey by the SDC, community members weighed in on the question: ‘Should Voluntary Assisted Dying be legal in all Australian states/territories?’

A whopping 86.4 per cent voted ‘yes’, and 10.6 per cent said ‘no’.

Members who were in support of VAD legislation being legalised everywhere explained their stances.

Member @NotNats said: ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying is the right of every Australian citizen.’

Member @John.RS agreed, saying: ‘This comment is totally correct and describes what we all face; our inevitable death. I have witnessed first-hand the passing of a person that every step had been taken to extend their life when all they wanted to do was to end their pain and suffering.’

Those against the legalisation of VAD across the country also expressed their opinions in the comments.

Member @Catsy said: ‘I have always been against it, can't help it, it is just the way I feel. What if something happens that could change the situation?’

Member @Staffordshire Whippet also replied: ‘If Saint Peter hates queue-jumpers as much as I do, that is enough to stop me doing it.’

You can read the rest of the poll results here.

In line with this, when doctors are taught what to look for in a prospective VAD recipient, they are told that a key trigger is the ‘fear of loss of cognitive function/inability to make decisions – fear of dependency’.

‘But VAD is not available to sufferers of dementia, one of the most dire and fearful diagnoses of all,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

‘And no form of caregiving is more damaging to the carer’s health than caring for a person living with late-stage dementia. They become isolated, physically and emotionally overwhelmed,’ he continued.

Mr Bachelard said that dementia accounts for almost 10 per cent of all deaths in the country. It’s also the second leading cause of death after coronary heart disease.

‘It’s not quick. People with dementia can live for a decade or more and then die slowly of its side effects – starvation, infection, pneumonia – long after they’ve lost the mental capacity to request and take the VAD medication,’ he claimed.

He also added that while someone suffering from dementia can sign an advanced care plan to explain how they want to be treated as their health declines, they cannot request VAD in that plan.

Key Takeaways

• Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law chose to die with dignity using Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) due to a terminal lung cancer diagnosis, avoiding the pain she witnessed in an elderly patient with dementia.
• Dr Rodney Syme, a Chief Advocate for VAD in Victoria, Australia, wished for the extension of VAD to those dying of dementia and frail aged individuals with a 'completed life'.
• Current VAD laws do not cover dementia sufferers, leaving those diagnosed with the condition to face a slow and painful decline without the option to end their suffering.

Seniors Discount Club members, we want to hear your thoughts and experiences on end-of-life care and the current VAD laws. Have you or someone close to you faced this issue? When the time comes, would you prefer to have VAD as an option? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

No! What we need is more and better palliative care. VAD is often far from dignified. Dying is not particularly dignified, but we’re all going to die, and we’re usually a long way from conscious when it actually happens. What we need is to be kept comfortable and with no pain. My darling husband died in a care facility - he had advanced dementia, and I think he’d had a stroke (brain bleed), though this was not confirmed by scans as the scan would have scared him and there was nothing the doctors could do if it was positive. He was well looked after with pain relief. We try to prevent suicide - why would we encourage it for the very frail?

 

[APapaz]

My dogs (I love them dearly) are not my family. They are my pets. My family have 2 legs, my pets have 4 lets. Please do not liken my right to life to that of a dog. I, too, have had to euthanise my pets but to suggest that I should "put my mother/father/brother/sister/son/daughter down" the same way is horrendous to me.

No-one is suggesting that YOU do that, but we would all like to have the CHOICE!!

 

[Ducky2]

Dying with dignity or Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) is a hotly debated topic, particularly when it comes to people suffering from dementia. The right to choose and the ability to make an informed choice form the backbone of the debate.

Now, one man has shared his deeply personal story of his mother-in-law’s experience with terminal illness and why she chose to die with dignity.

Michael Bachelard, a Senior Writer and Former Deputy Chief Editor of the news publication The Age, brought this important topic to light.

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was a young trainee nurse in the 1960s when she came across an elderly patient in a hospital. According to her, the patient was close to death and could not speak. However, whenever the patient moved, she let out a sound that she described as ‘pathetic mewling’.

The distressing sound, which his mother-in-law described as one of pain and lack of dignity – horrified the young trainee nurse. Since then, she has tried to avoid the same fate.

View attachment 19459

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was determined to avoid her former patient’s fate. Credit: Mario Wallner/Pexels

As his mother-in-law grew older, she became interested in the concept of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), inspired by Dr Rodney Syme, Victoria’s Chief Advocate for VAD.

According to Mr Bachelard, his mother-in-law ‘badgered’ the family to never allow her to reach the state her former patient was in.

When Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and her health began to worsen, she sought out the lethal dose permit under Victorian Law.

‘At 82, gratefully, she slipped into unconsciousness and never woke up,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

Dr Syme, touted as ‘one of the godfathers of Australia’s Voluntary Assisted Dying’, expressed in one of his unfinished manuscripts that VAD be extended to the ‘frail aged’ who he believed had a ‘completed life’ and those suffering from dementia.

View attachment 19460

Dr Syme was writing his book while simultaneously caring for his wife, who was suffering from dementia. Credit: Pixabay/Pexels

‘In his manuscript, he describes being taken to see a woman living in a nursing home with late-stage dementia,’ Mr Bachelard explained.

According to Mr Bachelard, Dr Syme wrote that ‘Mrs V’ was immobile, and half of her previous body weight and her limbs had started to ‘curl in on themselves’.

Due to the complexity of the illness, the patient’s flexor muscles had ‘overcome’ the weaker extensors and pushed her fingers so hard into her palms that it was in danger of lacerating the skin.

Dr Syme’s manuscript described the patient with her mouth hanging agape, her eyes wide open but blank. He also said that she was ‘doubly incontinent and had bedsore the size of a small plate’, which had eroded down to the bone.

In one instance, carers moved her to clean her up, and they accidentally pulled on her contracted limbs. Dr Syme wrote that Mrs V’s face contorted in pain. She grimaced and let out short groans and squeals of agony.

‘These are the only sounds she makes in the four hours of observation. Sounds of pain and distress. They are her only ways of communication,’ said Dr Syme in his manuscript.

View attachment 19469

What is Voluntary Assisted Dying? Image Credit: The Seniors Discount Club

The VAD legislation allows a person to alleviate their own suffering when it becomes unbearable, and death is ‘likely to occur’ within six months. In essence, the law is put in place to give ‘comfort’ in knowing that everyone has some control over the way they pass on.

However, VAD remains illegal in some cities in Australia. In a recent survey by the SDC, community members weighed in on the question: ‘Should Voluntary Assisted Dying be legal in all Australian states/territories?’

A whopping 86.4 per cent voted ‘yes’, and 10.6 per cent said ‘no’.

Members who were in support of VAD legislation being legalised everywhere explained their stances.

Member @NotNats said: ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying is the right of every Australian citizen.’

Member @John.RS agreed, saying: ‘This comment is totally correct and describes what we all face; our inevitable death. I have witnessed first-hand the passing of a person that every step had been taken to extend their life when all they wanted to do was to end their pain and suffering.’

Those against the legalisation of VAD across the country also expressed their opinions in the comments.

Member @Catsy said: ‘I have always been against it, can't help it, it is just the way I feel. What if something happens that could change the situation?’

Member @Staffordshire Whippet also replied: ‘If Saint Peter hates queue-jumpers as much as I do, that is enough to stop me doing it.’

You can read the rest of the poll results here.

In line with this, when doctors are taught what to look for in a prospective VAD recipient, they are told that a key trigger is the ‘fear of loss of cognitive function/inability to make decisions – fear of dependency’.

‘But VAD is not available to sufferers of dementia, one of the most dire and fearful diagnoses of all,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

‘And no form of caregiving is more damaging to the carer’s health than caring for a person living with late-stage dementia. They become isolated, physically and emotionally overwhelmed,’ he continued.

Mr Bachelard said that dementia accounts for almost 10 per cent of all deaths in the country. It’s also the second leading cause of death after coronary heart disease.

‘It’s not quick. People with dementia can live for a decade or more and then die slowly of its side effects – starvation, infection, pneumonia – long after they’ve lost the mental capacity to request and take the VAD medication,’ he claimed.

He also added that while someone suffering from dementia can sign an advanced care plan to explain how they want to be treated as their health declines, they cannot request VAD in that plan.

Key Takeaways

• Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law chose to die with dignity using Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) due to a terminal lung cancer diagnosis, avoiding the pain she witnessed in an elderly patient with dementia.
• Dr Rodney Syme, a Chief Advocate for VAD in Victoria, Australia, wished for the extension of VAD to those dying of dementia and frail aged individuals with a 'completed life'.
• Current VAD laws do not cover dementia sufferers, leaving those diagnosed with the condition to face a slow and painful decline without the option to end their suffering.

Seniors Discount Club members, we want to hear your thoughts and experiences on end-of-life care and the current VAD laws. Have you or someone close to you faced this issue? When the time comes, would you prefer to have VAD as an option? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Yes I would like that option my friend has dementia and is bed ridden and she would hate it but cannot speak for herself I think VAD should be added to health directive the right to make decisions on their behalf when there is absolutely no hope left I would not like to be in massive pain no unable to move , we need to be kind to each other as we do with animals with no hope

 

[Emi]

Dying with dignity or Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) is a hotly debated topic, particularly when it comes to people suffering from dementia. The right to choose and the ability to make an informed choice form the backbone of the debate.

Now, one man has shared his deeply personal story of his mother-in-law’s experience with terminal illness and why she chose to die with dignity.

Michael Bachelard, a Senior Writer and Former Deputy Chief Editor of the news publication The Age, brought this important topic to light.

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was a young trainee nurse in the 1960s when she came across an elderly patient in a hospital. According to her, the patient was close to death and could not speak. However, whenever the patient moved, she let out a sound that she described as ‘pathetic mewling’.

The distressing sound, which his mother-in-law described as one of pain and lack of dignity – horrified the young trainee nurse. Since then, she has tried to avoid the same fate.

View attachment 19459

Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was determined to avoid her former patient’s fate. Credit: Mario Wallner/Pexels

As his mother-in-law grew older, she became interested in the concept of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), inspired by Dr Rodney Syme, Victoria’s Chief Advocate for VAD.

According to Mr Bachelard, his mother-in-law ‘badgered’ the family to never allow her to reach the state her former patient was in.

When Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and her health began to worsen, she sought out the lethal dose permit under Victorian Law.

‘At 82, gratefully, she slipped into unconsciousness and never woke up,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

Dr Syme, touted as ‘one of the godfathers of Australia’s Voluntary Assisted Dying’, expressed in one of his unfinished manuscripts that VAD be extended to the ‘frail aged’ who he believed had a ‘completed life’ and those suffering from dementia.

View attachment 19460

Dr Syme was writing his book while simultaneously caring for his wife, who was suffering from dementia. Credit: Pixabay/Pexels

‘In his manuscript, he describes being taken to see a woman living in a nursing home with late-stage dementia,’ Mr Bachelard explained.

According to Mr Bachelard, Dr Syme wrote that ‘Mrs V’ was immobile, and half of her previous body weight and her limbs had started to ‘curl in on themselves’.

Due to the complexity of the illness, the patient’s flexor muscles had ‘overcome’ the weaker extensors and pushed her fingers so hard into her palms that it was in danger of lacerating the skin.

Dr Syme’s manuscript described the patient with her mouth hanging agape, her eyes wide open but blank. He also said that she was ‘doubly incontinent and had bedsore the size of a small plate’, which had eroded down to the bone.

In one instance, carers moved her to clean her up, and they accidentally pulled on her contracted limbs. Dr Syme wrote that Mrs V’s face contorted in pain. She grimaced and let out short groans and squeals of agony.

‘These are the only sounds she makes in the four hours of observation. Sounds of pain and distress. They are her only ways of communication,’ said Dr Syme in his manuscript.

View attachment 19469

What is Voluntary Assisted Dying? Image Credit: The Seniors Discount Club

The VAD legislation allows a person to alleviate their own suffering when it becomes unbearable, and death is ‘likely to occur’ within six months. In essence, the law is put in place to give ‘comfort’ in knowing that everyone has some control over the way they pass on.

However, VAD remains illegal in some cities in Australia. In a recent survey by the SDC, community members weighed in on the question: ‘Should Voluntary Assisted Dying be legal in all Australian states/territories?’

A whopping 86.4 per cent voted ‘yes’, and 10.6 per cent said ‘no’.

Members who were in support of VAD legislation being legalised everywhere explained their stances.

Member @NotNats said: ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying is the right of every Australian citizen.’

Member @John.RS agreed, saying: ‘This comment is totally correct and describes what we all face; our inevitable death. I have witnessed first-hand the passing of a person that every step had been taken to extend their life when all they wanted to do was to end their pain and suffering.’

Those against the legalisation of VAD across the country also expressed their opinions in the comments.

Member @Catsy said: ‘I have always been against it, can't help it, it is just the way I feel. What if something happens that could change the situation?’

Member @Staffordshire Whippet also replied: ‘If Saint Peter hates queue-jumpers as much as I do, that is enough to stop me doing it.’

You can read the rest of the poll results here.

In line with this, when doctors are taught what to look for in a prospective VAD recipient, they are told that a key trigger is the ‘fear of loss of cognitive function/inability to make decisions – fear of dependency’.

‘But VAD is not available to sufferers of dementia, one of the most dire and fearful diagnoses of all,’ Mr Bachelard shared.

‘And no form of caregiving is more damaging to the carer’s health than caring for a person living with late-stage dementia. They become isolated, physically and emotionally overwhelmed,’ he continued.

Mr Bachelard said that dementia accounts for almost 10 per cent of all deaths in the country. It’s also the second leading cause of death after coronary heart disease.

‘It’s not quick. People with dementia can live for a decade or more and then die slowly of its side effects – starvation, infection, pneumonia – long after they’ve lost the mental capacity to request and take the VAD medication,’ he claimed.

He also added that while someone suffering from dementia can sign an advanced care plan to explain how they want to be treated as their health declines, they cannot request VAD in that plan.

Key Takeaways

• Mr Bachelard’s mother-in-law chose to die with dignity using Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) due to a terminal lung cancer diagnosis, avoiding the pain she witnessed in an elderly patient with dementia.
• Dr Rodney Syme, a Chief Advocate for VAD in Victoria, Australia, wished for the extension of VAD to those dying of dementia and frail aged individuals with a 'completed life'.
• Current VAD laws do not cover dementia sufferers, leaving those diagnosed with the condition to face a slow and painful decline without the option to end their suffering.

Seniors Discount Club members, we want to hear your thoughts and experiences on end-of-life care and the current VAD laws. Have you or someone close to you faced this issue? When the time comes, would you prefer to have VAD as an option? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

I want to sign a binding contract now while am in control. I want 2 trusted persons who know me well and would know when I would wish to end my life. I watched my clever, proud, private, erudite and lovely husband lose every bit of his dignity due to this horrible disease. He was unable to speak, he could not control his body in any way and was curled into a feotal position. It took nearly a week without food and water apart from wetting his lips while in a distressed and mostly a comatose state before he died. In this modern world we should have the ability and right to end our lives with dignity
I am a fierce advocate of the right to decide for those if us who wish to use this option.

 

[Vinylted]

VAD is a type of suicide, which is illegal? but I have left instructions that if I become uncommunicative please pull the plug, don't just let me waste away.

 

[SGH]

I had an Advanced Health Directive (AHD) that states should I become a vegetable (brain dead) they have to pull the plug. The only thing they can keep me alive for is organ harvesting, after that it goodnight for good.
We are kinder to our fur babies than we are to ourselves, we have lost one of ours this year, we spent as much as we could about $30k trying to save him from a terrible disease, and in the long run it still went though his body. He was three and half years old, the youngest family member we have ever lost and if you dont believe animals are part of your family, spell dog backwards.

 

[maggiej]

I agree with VAD especially after seeing my mother dying from Cancer at a young age. It is a cruel disease as are many others but all I could feel at her funeral was a relief for her. She did not have VAD as it was before the laws changed to allow this in some states.

 

[Ezzy]

I watched my mother die of cancer. In her last days in the Hospice she lay lifeless, just skin & bone & everytime the nurses moved her she let out a blood curdling cry. I never want to end up like this. My wife told me without being asked, if l was vegetated she would turn off the lifeline.

Just over 12 months ago a very dear friend of ours did the above, & l am sure, with the knowledge of family. Her soul mate who she had spent many wonderful years with as a wife, mother & dance partner died. They had been in many competitions in numerous countries & Australia. She gradually succumb to pain & became inflexible in her legs. On several occasions she stated the Doctors had refused her request to assist her with death. The actual cause of death has never been stated, but she had spoken about saving up medications or starvation. The last time before her death that another friend saw her she was a shadow of her old self. Without assistance from a Dr she took her own life.

I believe my 100 y.o. friend who died more than 2 years ago in a Nursing Home also willed himself away because of the pain he was in.

We may not like to think about it but l believe Legislation legalising VAD is something which is inevitable. Having such Legislation doesn't mean we don't have a choice, it means that if we take that pathway nobody will be charged for their assistance.