Blog – VSED Resources Northwest

In the News: VRNW Founder interviewed by CASCADIA DAILY NEWS

June 14, 2023 / In the news, Medical providers, Palliative care

In mid-May, VRNW co-founder Marie Eaton was interviewed for an article that appeared in the Cascadia Daily News, a locally owned newspaper based out of Bellingham. Staff reporter Ralph Schwartz interviewed Eaton for an article about palliative care in Whatcom County: “‘Devastated’: PeaceHealth makes cuts to palliative care; decision to reduce services for seriously ill a …

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VSED Stories: Notes From a Caregiver

May 15, 2023 / Personal story, VSED

In “The Struggle: Notes From a Caregiver,” published in January on NextAvenue.org, David McNally discusses the emotional roller coaster that accompanies caregiving for his wife Cheryl, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Cheryl watched her brother succumb to Alzheimer’s, and has decided to use VSED to hasten her death sometime this year, with David’s support. Right …

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Book Corner: Recent Reviews of “The VSED Handbook”

April 14, 2023 / Book corner, In the news, VSED

The VSED Handbook, written by VRNW member Kate Christie and with a foreword from VRNW co-founder Nancy Simmers, has lately gotten some attention in varying parts of the country. In February, Patient Choices Vermont–a non-profit organization dedicated to end-of-life choice–published a review on their website. Susan Gillotti, PCV Board Member, had this to say about …

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In the News: VRNW members interviewed by the Salish Current

March 1, 2023 / Death with Dignity, In the news, Medical aid-in-dying

In mid-February, VRNW co-founders Nancy Simmers and Andrea Fenwick were interviewed for an article that appeared in the Salish Current, a nonprofit, online local news organization serving Whatcom, San Juan, and Skagit counties. Journalist Kai Uyehara also interviewed Cassa Sutherland, End of Life Washington‘s client services manager, and Lashanna Williams, executive director of Seattle-based A Sacred …

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VRNW Member Responds to Seattle Times Article about WA’s Death with Dignity/MAID Law

February 9, 2023 / Death with Dignity, Medical aid-in-dying, Personal story, VSED

Recently, retired newspaper photographer Peter Haley penned an editorial in the Seattle Times: “State’s ‘Death with Dignity’ law failed my wife.” In his piece, Haley wrote that Toni, his “beloved wife of 27 years,” was forced to die alone because Washington state’s medical aid-in-dying (MAID) law doesn’t cover ALS. Toni chose to die on her …

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Reblog: Dementia Directive information from EoL Choices NY

January 20, 2023 / End of life planning, VSED

Judith Schwarz, PhD, is the Clinical Director of End of Life Choices New York and a nationally recognized expert on VSED. In her recent post on Medium, “What is a ‘dementia directive’ to stop eating and drinking?” Schwarz explains the use of an advanced directive to prevent handfeeding in later stages of dementia. The article …

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More Training Needed for Washington’s Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1608

January 11, 2023 / Death with Dignity, End of life planning, Medical providers

In Whatcom County, which VSED Resources Northwest calls home, the only hospital is run by a faith-based healthcare system that chooses not to medically support Washington State’s Death with Dignity law. In the past, both patients and medical providers have been confused about what the hospital’s responsibility is to offer accurate information and referral information …

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Reblog: Sharing VSED Resources via The Good Death Society Blog

October 31, 2022 / Education, End of life planning, VSED

Recently, VSED Resources Northwest coordinator and co-founder Nancy Simmers published a piece on the Good Death Society blog, a project of Final Exit Network (FEN). To read more, visit Sharing VSED Resources In My Community – The Good Death Society Blog.

Book Release: The VSED Handbook by Kate Christie

April 3, 2022 / Education, End of life planning, VSED / 1 Comment

Novelist and VRNW member Kate Christie, whose mother Jane used VSED in early 2020 to escape the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease, has released a new book, The VSED Handbook: A Practical Guide to Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking. A combination instructional manual/personal memoir, The VSED Handbook provides detailed instructions for planning and carrying out …

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