This video is part of an ongoing series highlighting available resources in Ontario.
Full video transcript:
My mother in law activated the process to have Medical Assistance in Dying. Within the family there was a bit of a roller-coaster in acceptance but we all supported her wishes. Everything was beautifully handled in terms of respect and care for her and her wishes… Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) is a procedure that is available and legal in Canada. The thing that I hear most often from patients is they feel that the choice of MAID empowers them. Whether or not they do it, they just want to have the security of having a choice as opposed to feeling like the disease itself is driving them. Knowing that she had the option to have Medical Assistance in Dying was a really important part of the early conversations at the point of diagnosis. It was something that she knew she had the option for, which gave her great comfort. I think it gives that patient back that control. Whether they choose to move forward with it or they choose to stop it at that moment, they have that control. it wasn’t going to happen if she didn’t want it to happen. They can say no. So often what’s happening with Medical Assistance in Dying is that they’re hastening their death by a week or two, but giving them the control to choose when it occurs. A person who is requesting MAID and eligible for MAID must be competent. Anyone in Ontario who is funded under OHIP can qualify for MAID has to be 18 years of age or older. They have to be suffering from an irremediable disease. Their death has to be foreseeable in the immediate future. And then for the procedure itself, I will start IV lines for the doctor to gain access and then I’ll stay afterwards to help the family and provide support after the patient has passed. The procedure itself usually takes 10 to 15 minutes to occur and what I try to reassure people is that it is very peaceful in the method in which death occurs. It is also something in which the suffering is relieved. Once the procedure was over and we resumed our normal everyday lives, we knew that there were supports available for us in terms of bereavement and grief support. I think that a lot of people just need to educate themselves on it and find the resources that they need, because it truly has brought peace to so many people that I’ve come across in my in my career. I see it as a procedure that is very peaceful. I see it as a good alternative for people if they choose to do so. it is hugely beneficial to people who don’t want to suffer. It eases suffering and it gives them control to make choices for themselves and their body.