Blog – Page 4 – VSED Resources Northwest

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.

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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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Poem by Kate Vredvoogd

November 9, 2021 / Personal story, VSED / 2 Comments

The following poem was written by Kate Vredvoogd while being present with and sitting at the bedside of her beloved father, Bruce Vredvoogd, during his 11 day VSED process. Kate is a writer, photographer and teacher of the English language. Her website is www.wanderlustwords.com. My dad is the trickster, the quiet careful listenerwho hears the

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Offering Comfort Through Song

April 30, 2021 / Education, Hospice, VSED

By Andrea Fenwick One of the things that I learned from being a hospice volunteer is that hearing is the last sense that we lose before we die. Even after someone has died, speaking words of kindness, love, and peace offer comfort to those still living; and singing can soothe and bring a sense of

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Is a VSED Webinar in conflict with PeaceHealth’s ethical policies? Not really.

March 19, 2021 / Education, VSED

Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) is becoming a more recognized end-of-life choice, and more patients are choosing to hasten their death by stopping eating and drinking. Typically, they make this choice when they feel that their body is so severely compromised that their quality of life is no longer acceptable. Many patients, afraid of

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Who We Are: Josselyn Winslow

February 12, 2021 / Personal story, Who we are

Co-founder of VSED Resources Northwest and Dementia Support Northwest In May of 2019, two friends whose husbands had recently died, a death doula who had worked with our family, and I gathered to talk about VSED. We decided that it was important to get word out that there was a compassionate end-of-life option for people

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“This is Your Show” from Compassion & Choices

December 16, 2020 / End of life planning / 1 Comment

A new end-of-life planning video from Compassion & Choices came out this month, and we wanted to share it. From the video description: “This year people all over the world have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, experiencing isolation, economic challenges, losing loved ones and so much more. This year has also shone a brighter

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Let Me Tell You about my Mother

November 15, 2020 / Personal story, VSED

Hi. I’m Kate, daughter of Jane, who is the reason I’m here in more ways than one–“here” as in the world, but also “here” working with VSED Resources Northwest. My mom, with the support of most of our family, chose to end her life on her own terms in February 2020 by voluntarily stopping eating

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