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Clearing up questions about end of life care

Residents in Bonnyville will have the opportunity to get their questions answered when it comes to end of life options, be it palliative care or medical assistance in dying.

Residents in Bonnyville will have the opportunity to get their questions answered when it comes to end of life options, be it palliative care or medical assistance in dying.

With the new legislation around physician-assisted death, the Bonnyville Palliative Care Committee feels it crucial to increase education around what's available when you're nearing your final days. On April 26, they will be bringing to town Dr. James Silvius, Alberta Health Services (AHS) lead doctor on the medical assistance in dying, and Dr. Irma Kritzinger, a former local physician and an expert in palliative care.

The pair will spend 45 minutes each speaking about the end of life options with regards to their respective fields. Following that, the audience will be able to ask any questions they may have.

“We're trying to educate the public in terms of the options for end of life, between palliative care and medically assisted dying,” said Stephen Sparks, a member of the palliative care committee. “A lot of people have some very novel and distinct ideas as to what that implies. We're trying to get rid of the misinformation and give them as much information as possible to make an intelligent decision with regards to their end of life care.”

Medically assisted dying was available in February 2016, however, a court order was still need to obtain the procedure. That was until June of last year, when Bill C-14 officially became law. In the first year of the service being allowed, between February 2016 and February 2017, over 70 people in Alberta chose to end their lives with the assistance of a doctor.

But the procedure isn't as cut and dry as simply making the request. Sparks explained that there is a process that gets followed and people need to ensure they have all the information before making that decision.

“They have to first meet with a doctor to know they're medically competent to make the right decision, then ethicists are involved, plus two other doctors who will sit down and say ‘yes, this person has thought about it rationally.'”

In Bonnyville, the route to medically assisted dying looks a little different than in other communities due to Covenant Health being a faith-based facility.

“Once the decision is made, Covenant Health was very clear that they'll provide all of the supports up to the time of the decision. Then they will facilitate a transfer to a facility where that can be followed through on,” explained chair of the local palliative care committee David Beale, noting all of the details will be included in the presentation. “Dr. Silvius will address all the steps that are taken to make sure the process follows the legislation. This is about people in Bonnyville understanding their options.”

Along with the new legislation, they also want to make sure that people understand the services and supports in the community when it comes to palliative care. For local residents, there is a palliative care unit right in the hospital, as well as the option of home care for those who would rather die at home. Thanks to the work of the palliative care committee, there is also a wide selection of supports and services available for terminally-ill patients and their family.

Both Beale and Sparks noted that the biggest concern people who are in that position have is the pain they might experience as they near the end of their life. However, they agreed that pain management has come a long way.

“One of the things about palliative care is that pain management is a focus. I have been with many people who had died, and they have died peacefully. They've died with enough clarity to say goodbye to their families and to move towards closure,” said Sparks. “One of the problems with the medical assistance in dying is that the person has opted to say ‘I don't want to go through all of that, I want to end it at this point.'”

Regardless of what option a person takes or how they want their life to end, it's important they discuss their decision with their family as part of advanced care planning, making it crucial that they fully understand the processes involved ahead of time.

“We're not pushing this one way or another, this is an individual choice. You consult with your own priest, minister, or wisdom leader, and you decide on your own. But, you need to know what's available,” said Sparks, stressing the end of life session is solely an educational event, and won't be debating the morals of the choice.

Beale added, “Our effort in doing this is that it's a new thing that's come out. People are confused, there are a lot of questions out there. This is certainly a morally-charged issue; we're not addressing that. We're not saying this is good, bad, or otherwise, this is a new law, a new option for Albertans. We want people in Bonnyville to know about it, and we want people to what the palliative care options are in Bonnyville.”

The end of life session will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on April 26 at the Bonnyville Seniors' Drop-In Centre. The meeting is free for anyone in the community to attend, but donations will be accepted for the Bonnyville Palliative Care Committee.

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