Supporting Your Patients Who Choose VSED

Open to all at no cost

Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) is becoming a more recognized end-of-life choice; patients are choosing to hasten their death by stopping eating and drinking. Typically, they make this choice when they feel that their body is so severely compromised that their quality of life is no longer acceptable.

Although a number of states, including Washington, have laws that allow patients who are close to dying to take medication to end their lives, that option is not always available and so some patients turn to VSED.

This 2-hour webinar will examine this process, Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking (VSED), as an end-of-life choice, exploring moral, medical and legal issues that arise for patients, and their families and providers.

This webinar is intended to be an introduction to VSED as an end-of-life choice. We acknowledge that we advocate VSED as a choice but also understand that there are significant ethical and moral dilemmas raised by this choice.  Attendees will develop a basic understanding of VSED as an end-of-life option and be able to describe some of the moral, ethical and legal questions surrounding this choice, when and how to refer someone, and some of the key steps that should be taken if supporting a patient in this process.  There will also be time for questions for presenters.

An application for CME credit has been submitted.

Although this webinar is intended primarily for those in the medical field, we welcome community participation.  

Presenters include:

  • Hope Wechkin, MD, Medical Director, EvergreenHealth Hospice and Palliative Medicine
  • Megan Ellingson, MD, Palliative Care, Whatcom Hospice
  • Sharmon FIgenshaw, ARNP, Hospice Nurse
  • Jen VanderWeyden – family member whose mother chose VSED
  • Erin Mae Glass, Elder Law Attorney, Baron Smith Law
  • Nancy Simmers, RN, Death Doula, VSED Resources NW
  • John Holmes, PhD,  Ethics Educator, PeaceHealth System

This webinar is co-sponsored by the Palliative Care Institute, A Sacred Passing, VSED Resources NW, End of Life Washington, and The Northwest Washington Medical Society.

See registration link below.

Past
Date Time Location
Past
Date Time Location
Zoom