dementia

New VSED Book: Herself to the End by Fran Volkmann

In May, the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Mass., published an article about a local woman’s new book, Herself to the End. Author Fran Volkmann decided to share the story of her late partner Joan Cenedella’s choice to hasten her death via VSED in order to spread awareness of VSED as a legal, valid end-of-life […]

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Using VSED and Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) to Avoid Late-Stage Dementia

In late 2024, attorney, medical ethics expert, and VSED advocate Professor Thaddeus Pope gave a virtual talk to the Hemlock Society of San Diego about how dementia patients might be able to utilize medical-aid-in-dying to avoid late stages of their disease. As Professor Pope explains, if the patient were to begin VSED while they still

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Reducing Fear from a Life with Alzheimer’s

On October 15, Seattle-based Worry-Free Wednesdays (WFW) sponsored a Seattle Town Hall panel discussion centered on the end-of-life options dementia patients have to sustain their quality of life. WFW is an end-of-life planning, education, and awareness organization helmed by the capable and energetic Wendy Norman, who moderated the October event. Speakers included attorneys Erin Mae

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Quebec to approve advance requests for MAID as of Oct. 30, 2024

Canada’s medical assistance in dying law continues to evolve. A February 2015 Canadian Supreme Court ruling, Carter v. Canada, paved the way for the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. The following year, Parliament passed federal legislation to allow Canadian residents to request MAiD under very specific circumstances and rules; generally, visitors to Canada are not eligible. Eligibility requirements

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Wendy Mitchell: The Case for Assisted Dying in the UK

British co-authors Anna Wharton and Wendy Mitchell penned three bestselling books before Wendy, diagnosed in 2014 with early-onset Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, chose VSED to escape the final stages of her disease. Shortly after Wendy’s death in February 2024, Anna wrote a post for her blog, White Ink, about medical aid in dying in the

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VSED Stories: Wendy Mitchell’s Choice

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

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VSED Stories: Notes From a Caregiver

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

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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