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Know Your Options
Dying can be on your own terms
When faced with a terminal illness, YOU can select an exit strategy that best fits your core values and belief. The following is a brief overview of the options available.
Full Medical Intervention
You can choose to fight till the end. This option extends life as long as medically possible. You can have full care, often in an Intensive Care Unit of a hospital, looked after by trained professionals who are doing everything they can for you.
Forgoing treatment
At some point, the medical options may become exhausted or they may be too exhausting to be continued.
Natural death
Nature can run its course, usually with the comfort care provided by a hospice team. Your disease grows until your body cannot sustain life and it shuts down.
A gentle and serene option if physical suffering and existential pain does not exceed the limits of common medications.
Terminal sedation
When you suffering cannot be controlled while you are awake, your doctor determines the level of sedation needed so you are no longer suffering.
- Your doctor judges your level of suffering and can determine the appropriate response.
- This is usually reserved for when you are suffering so much that you cannot advocate for yourself.
- Usually you do not eat or drink or get antibiotics under terminal (palliative) sedation.
- The Pope does not oppose this option.
Medical Aid in Dying
Legal in Hawaii since 2019, if you are terminally ill and mentally capable, you can receive a prescription for life ending medication.
- You can choose if and when you ingest your medication.
- You do not have to prove suffering.
- You do not need a doctor to be present when you ingest your medication.
- There are many requirements that must be met before you can receive your medication.
VSED
Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking is always an option.
- If you do not have a diagnosis of 6 months or less, this may be an option you consider.
- If you are going to become cognitively impaired, this may be an option you consider.
Dying can be on your own terms
If you are interested in discussing these options further, please Contact Us.
Donate to Help Ease The Burden
At Burden Lifters, we believe that everyone deserves a good death. Our mission revolves around offering end-of-life services to those who seek them. In line with this mission, we do not impose a set fee for our services. Instead, we offer guidelines based on current rate scales and kindly request that clients contribute what they believe our services are warranted, without creating additional financial hardship.
If you would like to support our mission, or offset the cost of services for those in financial hardship, click the button below to make a donation.
