Dying: Another Stage of Life Flashcards
Bereaved
Refers to an individual who is experiencing grief
and mourning following the loss of someone or
something that is very dear to them.
Bill C-14
Legislation passed in June 2016 amending the
Criminal Code of Canada and other related
Acts, limiting the right to medical assistance
in dying to those whose natural death is “reasonably
foreseeable:’
Carter v. Canada (Attorney General) (2015)
A landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision
where the prohibition of assisted suicide was
challenged as contrary to the Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms. In a unanimous decision
on February 6, 2015, the Court struck down
the provision in the Criminal Code of Canada,
thereby giving Canadian adults who are mentally
competent and suffering intolerably and
enduringly the right to a doctor’s help in dying.
Christianity
The religion based on the person and
teachings ofJesus of Nazareth, or its beliefs
and practices.
Complicated or Prolonged Grief
Grief that does not resolve naturally and
persists for an indefinite period with varying
degrees of incapacitation
Death Anxiety
The persistent fear of one’s own mortality
with this fear consisting of a feeling of dread,
apprehension, or anxiety.
Do-Not-Resuscitate Order
A do-not-resuscitate order, or DNR order, is a
medical order written by a doctor and based
on previous consultation with/ directive from
the patient. It instructs healthcare providers
not to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR) if a patient’s breathing stops or if the
patient’s heart stops beating.
Drion’s Pill
Huib Drion, then-vice-president of the Dutch
Supreme Court, put forward the idea of
having an easily available suicide pill for older
adults who wanted to end their lives. This
suicide pill came to be known as the Drion
Pill or Drion’s Pill.
Euthanasia
A process that involves a deliberate action
with the express intention of ending a life to
relieve intractable (persistent, unstoppable)
suffering. The action may be either nonvoluntar
y or voluntary.
Five Stages of Death
A model of death developed by Elisabeth
Kubler-Ross, consisting of five stages of dying
that people experience when faced with their
own impending death: denial, anger, bargaining,
depression, and acceptance. While
the stages are listed in order, they do not
necessarily occur in the same sequence with
every individual and more than one stage
may be present at the same time.
Grief
A natural response to the loss of a loved
one or someone or something very dear to
a person.
Grievous and Irremediable Medical
Condition
One criteria for medical assistance in dying;
an individual must have a serious illness,
disease, disability; be in an advanced state of
decline that cannot be reversed; be suffering
unbearably from the illness, disease, disability,
or state of declin e; and be at a point
where natural death is foreseeable.
Intestacy Rules
When a person dies without leaving a valid
will, their property (the estate) must be
shared out according to certain rules. Each
province has intestacy rules that define an
estate’s beneficiaries and how much each is
to receive.
Lower House
Also known as the House of Commons- a
component of the Parliament of Canada,
along with the Senate and the Monarch
(represented by the governor general).
Medical Assistance in Dying
Legislation that allows eligible adults in
Canada to request physician-assisted suicide
or physician-assisted death. There are two
types of medical assistance in dying available
to Canadians- voluntary euthanasia and
medically assisted suicide.
Medically Assisted Suicide
When a physician or nurse practitioner gives
or prescribes a drug that is self-administered
to cause death. In some jurisdictions, this is
referred to as physician-assisted suicide or
physician-assisted death.
Mourning
The cultural and/ or public display of grief
through one’s behaviour. It is the process
through which the resolution of grief may
be accomplished.
Non-Voluntary Euthanasia
When a physician or someone else
administers a medication such as a sedative
or a neuromuscular relaxant or other
intervention to intentionally end the life
of a non-competent patient who could not
give informed consent (e.g., an adult with
Alzheimer’s disease or other condition that
compromises decision-making capacity); also
called “passive euthanasia:’
Opioid Analgesics
Pain relievers, also known as narcotic analgesics,
that act on the central nervous system.
Physician-Assisted Suicide
When the physician provides medication or
a prescription to a patient as per the patient’s
explicit request, with the understanding that
the patient intends to use the medication to
end his or her life. This often is referred to as
physician -assisted death.
Quality of Death Index
A measure of the quality of palliative care
in 80 countries using 20 quantitative and
qualitative indicators across five categories:
the palliative and healthcare environment, human resources, the affordability of care,
the quality of care, and the level of community
engagement.
Royal Assent
The Canadian Constitution Act of 1867 states
that the approval of the Crown, signified
by Royal Assent, is required for any bill to
become law after passage by both the Senate
and the House of Commons.
Terminal
Predicted to lead to death, especially slowly;
incurable.
Upper House
Also known as the Senate- a component of
the Parliament of Canada, along with the
House of Commons and the Monarch (represented
by the governor general).
Voluntary Euthanasia
When a physician or someone else administers
a medication such as a sedative or a
neuromuscular relaxant or other intervention
to intentionally end a mentally competent
patient’s life, with this intervention done at
the individual’s request. This often is referred
to as voluntary active euthanasia.
