Program Notes: October 2024, Medical Aid in Dying

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Last updated on October 23, 2024.

Oct
24
October 2024: What’s that Medical Aid in Dying All About?
In 2021 New Mexico authorized a new medical practice so that a qualified terminal patient can request and receive lethal medications to end their suffering and their life… if and when they choose. This session will briefly discuss the importance of having conversations about living and dying consistent with one’s values, provide an overview of various end-of-life options available to consider, highlight the key aspects of NM’s End-of-Life Options Act, and share some stories and experiences from the front lines. There will definitely be time for Q&A and discussion.

Karen St. Clair will introduce the session and our presenters. Barak Wolff and Sherry Burns are members of the End of Life Options New Mexico Board of Directors, a non profit with a mission to provide education and support for all end-of-life options, including medical aid in dying. Barak is a mostly retired, long-time public health leader in NM who has been deeply involved in end-of-life issues for a dozen years. Sherry Burns is an End-of-Life Doula who chairs the EOLONM Client Supports Volunteer Committee. Sherry has been working directly with dying patients in various settings for the last several years. 

For those who wish to learn a bit more before (or after) the presentation, you might want to check out these websites:

The Medical Order for Scope of Treatment is a one-page, 2-sided green form that someone with serious illness and can review and sign with their primary clinician. It is a medical order that is often posted in the home to express what care, if any, is desired if the patient loses capacity. Learn more at https://www.nmmost.org.

Here is the presentation:

EOLNM_10242024Download