A Call for Compassionate End-of-Life Care
We encountered a case which we want to bring to your attention.
Thankfully, a life was saved. Here’s what happened…
A family recently reached out to Compassionate Community Care when an elderly woman with advanced cancer was experiencing severe pain and was being considered for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). She had previously declined MAiD multiple times because of her faith, but as her condition deteriorated, she began to reconsider and opened to the idea.
Although she never wanted MAiD *(euthanasia), she was offered it and declined multiple times, and refused it, yet near the end she was in so much pain she agreed to MAiD.
Compassionate Community Care, with consultations with the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Executive Director, Alex Schadenberg, encouraged the family to ask the medical team about palliative sedation and comprehensive palliative pain management as alternatives to MAiD.
According to the family, however, no such option had been presented to them at the time; MAiD had been the primary option discussed. This raised concerns about whether the patient and her family had been fully informed of all available approaches to relieving severe suffering at the end of life.
With the involvement of CCC’s advocates, referred medical professionals, and proper pastoral support, the family began exploring additional approaches to pain and symptom management. Spiritual support was also arranged in keeping with the woman's faith preference.
The case highlights the importance of ensuring that patients and families facing the end of life are informed about the full range of palliative-care options, including appropriate pain management and, where clinically indicated, palliative sedation. It also underscores the importance of respecting a patient's beliefs and ensuring that decisions are made with adequate information and support.
Compassionate end-of-life care should address the whole person—relieving suffering while respecting the patient's dignity, values, beliefs, and wishes.
We help each case and individual to the best of our abilities and capacity.
Palliative Sedation vs Euthanasia
Palliative sedation and euthanasia are distinct end-of-life practices in Canada that differ fundamentally in their primary intention, medical method, and legal framework.
Core Differences
• Palliative Sedation: Medications are used to lower a terminal patient's consciousness to relieve severe, untreatable symptoms during the final days of life. The explicit goal is comfort, not to cause or speed up death, and the patient is expected to die from their underlying illness. This is a last resort when other treatments cannot relieve symptoms in the last days of life.
• Euthanasia (aka MAID): Known in Canada as Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), a practitioner directly administers a lethal substance to intentionally cause a patient's death.
We wish to explain this to you, as this was the case in the events shared above, reminds us how important it is to make these distinctions clear and the pressing need to advocate for your loved ones and have an understanding of your health care options.
Thanks to each member of our team for their assistance in helping save someone from euthanasia. It truly does take a village.
To enable us to continue this important work, and to support this and other initiatives, like our free seniors calling service across Canada, please call us to make a donation today at 519-439-6445, e-transfer us at info@beingwith.org or send a donation in the mail. We greatly appreciate your support!