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End Of Life Option Act and the Access Campaign
Ensuring people have access to medical aid-in-dying.
Speaker: Joe Barnes, Public Policy Campaign Manager
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End Of Life Option Act and the Access Campaign Ensuring people have - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
End Of Life Option Act and the Access Campaign Ensuring people have - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
End Of Life Option Act and the Access Campaign Ensuring people have access to medical aid-in-dying. Speaker: Joe Barnes, Public Policy Campaign Manager Disclosure None of the faculty, planners, speakers, providers nor CME committee has any
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Compassion & Choices is the nation’s oldest, largest, and most active nonprofit organization committed to improving care and expanding choice at the end of life.
Compassion & Choices supports, educates, and advocates.
About Compassion & Choices
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“Life is meaningful because it is a story… ...and in stories, endings matter.”
- Dr. Atul Gawande, Being Mortal
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By show of hands…
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- At home with loved ones
- With their pain and discomfort managed
- To have their spiritual needs and values respected
- Without being a devastating burden for loved ones
How people want their lives to end
Journal of the American Society on Aging, June 2015
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Bob Stone
medical aid-in-dying advocate who died at age 69 years old
“For me it’s an existential question about how I live my life and how I die and how I have the right to make those decisions.”
- Bob Stone
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Los Angeles Times Article
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Bob Stone
Bob’s Auto reply: “ I am dead and will have limited access to email.”
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- All medical treatment interventions
- Discontinuing or refusing medical treatment
- Palliative care and palliative sedation
- Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking
(VSED)
- Medical Aid-in-Dying: CA End of Life Option Act
End-of-Life Options:
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California End of Life Option Act
Governor Brown signed the bill on October 5, 2015: “I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain. I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill. And I wouldn't deny that right to others.”
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Medical aid-in-dying is a safe and trusted practice in which a terminally ill, mentally capable adult with a prognosis of six months or less to live has the option to request from their doctor a prescription for medication which they can choose to self-ingest to end unbearable suffering and die peacefully.
This medical practice is also known as death with dignity.
What is Medical Aid-in-Dying?
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- California resident
- 18 years or older
- Terminally ill with a prognosis of 6 months or less
- Capable of making medical decisions
Eligibility Requirements
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- Physician must inform person about all end-of-life care
- ptions
- Two verbal requests and one written request
- Two physicians must confirm eligibility
- Two witnesses must attest to the voluntary nature of
the individual’s request
- Person must be able to take and ingest the medication
themselves
- 48 hour attestation form
Other requirements include:
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- Wills, contracts, insurance
and annuity policies are not affected by a person choosing medical aid-in-dying
- Medical aid-in-dying is not considered suicide or
assisted suicide
Provisions of the law:
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Talking about Death
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Statistics from Oregon
- 1,545 prescriptions written,
64% took medication
- Most were over age 65
and had a diagnosis of cancer
- 91% were enrolled in hospice
- Primary reason for choosing aid-in-dying was
loss of ability to engage in activities that make life enjoyable
- Not one instance of abuse in 18 years
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Passing a law that authorizes medical aid-in-dying is just the first step.
Ensuring people understand the process and have access to supportive healthcare systems is at the core of the Access Campaign’s goals.
The Access Campaign
The Access Campaign:
- educates the public
- empowers individuals
- educates healthcare systems
- provides assistance for
supportive policy development
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The real impact the Access Campaign can make
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Places for Public Outreach:
- Retirement communities and senior centers
- Assisted living facilities
- Service clubs
- Health and wellness fairs
- Libraries
- Newspapers, newsletters, and other media
What the events can encompass:
- Educational presentations about how the law works
- Seminars and Lectures (i.e. How to Talk to Your Doctor About
End-of-Life Options)
- Film screenings
- Farmers’ Markets
Public Outreach
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Who is included?
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Medical Social Workers
- Hospice staff and leadership
- Long-term care managers
How to reach theses demographics:
- Medical conferences
- Professional training workshops at hospitals and hospices
- Giving presentations to professional associations
Medical Outreach
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✓ End of Life Option Act recording: 800-893-4548 ✓ End of Life Option Act website: www.endoflifeoption.org ✓ Information about upcoming events: www.compassionandchoices.org/attend-an-event/ ✓ Doc2Doc consultation service for physicians: 800-893-4548
Compassion & Choices Resources
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Compassion & Choices California
For presentations to medical professionals,
- rganizations and institutions, please
contact the California Medical Outreach Manager: Stefanie Elkins selkins@compassionandchoices.org (213) 819-8781 For presentations to healthcare consumers, community groups and organizations, please contact the California Outreach Manager: Erika Ruiz eruiz@compassionandchoices.org (213) 910-2461
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Questions?
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