In February 2024, after a decade-long battle with early-onset dementia, British author Wendy Mitchell chose to stop eating and drinking. She details her decision-making process in a post titled, “My final hug in a mug….” on the blog Which Me am I Today? Wendy started her blog shortly after her diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s and vascular […]
VSED Stories: Wendy Mitchell’s Choice Read More »
In a new article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, “Medical aid in dying to avoid late-stage dementia,” authors Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD, and Lisa Brodoff, JD, discuss the plight of patients with dementia who wish to use medical aid-in-dying (MAiD) but are unable to qualify due to an inability to satisfy the
Using VSED as a bridge to MAiD for people with dementia? Read More »
The first issue of the Journal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine has now been published online. The Journal is online only; i.e., there is no print version. The Journal is also open access, meaning that anyone can read it. There is no paywall for any articles, thanks to advertisers. Some highlights from this first issue: A discussion
New journal on medical-aid-in-dying (MAID) Read More »
Researchers from Amsterdam UMC in the Netherlands recently published a new qualitative analysis on patients who chose to hasten their death via VSED. Below are details from the abstract, published in the November-December issue of the journal Annals of Family Medicine. Purpose: Voluntary stopping of eating and drinking (VSED) is a controversial [SIC] method to
New Study on patients who choose VSED Read More »
VSED: The Least Bad Option By Kate ChristiePublished on The Good Death Society Blog, a project of Final Exit Network (Kate Christie is a former technical and marketing writer who now primarily writes fiction. She is author of the book, The VSED Handbook: A Practical Guide to Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking. She also works
Reblog: Kate Christie’s blog post on the good death society blog Read More »
Cheryl Hauser’s VSED story is similar to that of many others. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in her early 70s, she decided early on that she did not wish to live to the end stages of the disease. Her brother had suffered from the same form of dementia, so she knew from first-hand experience the depth of
VSED Stories: A good death for a Minnesota woman who championed VSED Read More »
On June 21, 2023, the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management (JPSM) released the first published comprehensive clinical guidelines for Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) in the United States. VRNW co-founder and director Nancy Simmers was a member of the working group that drafted the guidelines. What follows is the text of a news
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
In the News: VRNW Founder interviewed by CASCADIA DAILY NEWS Read More »
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
VSED Stories: Notes From a Caregiver Read More »
VSED Resources Northwest has released the first issue of our newsletter, The VSED Dispatch, vol. 1, issue 1. As the newsletter notes, “we hope to offer stories that inspire, news items that inform, and additional content that engages your interest in VSED, medical aid-in-dying, and related topics. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d
VSED Resources NW newsletter: The VSED Dispatch, Vol. 1, Issue 1 Read More »
