End of Life

The right to die: Should MAiD apply to those whose sole condition is mental illness?

With the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to include those whose sole condition is mental illness fast approaching, we asked a panel of experts whether they felt this was a move in the right direction — and what they hope to see moving forward.

On mentors: Honouring the legacy of a palliative care specialist

Gone but not forgotten: Darren Cargill honours his mentor in palliative care, Ciaran Sheehan, for National Hospice and Palliative Care Week.

Advance care planning? Your future self might not thank you

Advance care planning takes for granted that any wishes about my care that I made in advance should guide the treatment I get when I'm incapacitated. But what if they actually shouldn't – because when incapacitated, I'm not the same person?

Mental health and MAID: An ongoing challenge

Parliament is looking into offering MAiD to people whose only underlying condition is a mental illness. But this might be premature. After all, shouldn't we first improve mental health care in Canada?

Healing through community: Reflecting on collective grief from COVID-19

We are grieving loss of life on a mass scale at a time when pandemic restrictions have disrupted our customary death rituals and traditions. Could an initiative called The Reflection Room help LTC residents and others cope with their grief?

‘A second layer of loss’: Pandemic has changed how we grieve for our loved ones

For many people grieving the loss of a loved one during COVID-19, public-health restrictions on death-related rituals like funerals have created a "second layer of loss," taking an emotional and spiritual toll.

New MAiD legislation calls for the wise words of a pioneer

The new MAiD law should provoke reflection about our own attitudes toward death. A place to start is a wise 12-minute video produced by a prominent geriatrician shortly before his own medically assisted death.

Why choose palliative care?

You may assume that palliative care is synonymous with end-of-life or hospice care. Our goal is to eliminate this common misconception.

MAiD debate must be paused until we have dealt with COVID-19

Rather than rushing to amend our Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) law, Parliament should be focused on expanding access to social services.

The timing could hardly be worse

You want to introduce fundamental change to a controversial practice during a pandemic? Bill C-7 will become law while every healthcare organization in the country is swamped by the worst crisis in living memory.

Bill 3 is a good start but more must be done for palliative care

Giving thanks for Dan’s Law

Raising the bar on our haphazard end-of-life transition from hospital to home

What are we willing to pay for the quality of death we want?

Can patients be at risk of self-harm after being found ineligible for a medically-assisted death?

Bridging the Gap: Compassionate communities are essential for care

‘Tell me it will be OK:’ Learning to deal with patients’ pain

As a surgical resident, a huge part of my job is, unexpectedly, palliation. But I’ve never received training on how to do it. Am I doing it right? I wonder.

Not scared of dying but of dying scared

Last rights: Connecting the space between palliative care and MAiD

For my Mom, palliative care and MAiD unfolded gracefully together. My family’s experience is one among many that might prompt Canada’s palliative care organizations to reconsider their relationship to MAiD

Why do some deaths hit harder than others?