This week, the Supreme Court of Canada has been hearing an appeal by the BC Civil Liberties Association that could grant terminally ill Canadians the right to assisted suicide. With this impending ruling and the passing of Bill 52 in Quebec (Medical Aid in Dying) and rumblings from parliament of another private members bill on assisted suicide, Canada is at a crossroads.
Palliative care doctors who see dying differently. Most seniors say they want to die at home. However, about half of seniors are dying in hospitals, according to research by Verena Menec, the Director of the University of Manitoba’s Centre on Aging. She says many of these patients don’t need to die in the hospital. They […]
Advance care planning is a process of reflection and communication about personal care preferences in the event that an individual becomes incapable of consenting to or refusing treatment or other care. The most important aspects of advance care planning are choosing one or more Substitute Decision Makers — someone who will speak on the individuals’ behalf and make decisions for them if they are not able to do so themselves.
