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 Resources Northwest has released the first issue of our quarterly 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 …
VSED Resources NW newsletter: The VSED Dispatch, Vol. 1, Issue 1 Read More »
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 …
Book Corner: Recent Reviews of “The VSED Handbook” Read More »
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 …
VRNW Member Responds to Seattle Times Article about WA’s Death with Dignity/MAID Law Read More »
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 …
Reblog: Dementia Directive information from EoL Choices NY Read More »
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.
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 …
Book Release: The VSED Handbook by Kate Christie Read More »
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 …
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 …
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 …
Is a VSED Webinar in conflict with PeaceHealth’s ethical policies? Not really. Read More »
