MAiD: A Personal Story of Family, Policy and Commitment to Care

WEBINAR GUEST(s):

Thalia DeWolf, RN | RN and Hospice Outreach Coordinator and Director of Nursing Education at the Academy of Aid in Dying Medicine

Janine Cuthbertson | INELDA’s membership coordinator, hospice volunteer and INELDA-trained End-of-Life Doula

MODERATOR:

Douglas Simpson | INELDA Executive Director and board member of Academy of Aid in Dying Medicine

Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) is an end-of-life option where a physician prescribes medication to a competent adult with a terminal illness who wishes to end their life this way. As of January 2025, numerous countries and 11 states in the US have legalized MAiD, recognizing it as a humane way for people with terminal illness to end their lives. This March’s webinar MAiD: A Personal Story of Family, Policy and Commitment to Care will feature Thalia DeWolf, RN and INELDA’s membership coordinator, Janine Cuthbertson as they recount the inspiring story of Janine’s mother’s end-of-life journey with Medical Aid in Dying under Thalia’s supervision.

From Janine’s mother’s decision to use MAiD, to Janine’s fearful realization that no medical professionals were allowed by the hospice to be present, to their brave decision to connect with Thalia to seek the help that they needed, we will set the stage for the great acts of courage and advocacy that followed. We will explore Thalia’s reasons for going against the hospice’s rules and the decision to remain with the patient and family, the reasons Thalia lost their nursing license because of those actions, and their subsequent appeal to an ethics board to challenge what they believed to be inhumane policies.

This webinar will be a powerful look into the ways that MAiD helps people with terminal illness transition, the ways that fear complicates grief, how deathcare practitioners can be the best advocates for their patients and circles of care, and how laws that don’t protect the most vulnerable are meant to be challenged. We hope you will join us to hear this deeply moving story, and to learn about how end-of-life doulas can practice this courageous care for our patients and their circles of care.

INELDA executive director Douglas Simpson will moderate this conversation, guiding attendees through this engaging conversation.

READ MORE about the webinar & our guests

Tier 2 & 3 Members can attend this webinar for free as part of member benefits.

Tier 1 and Non-Members can purchase access for $15. Access allows you to view this webinar live on the day of the event and also to view the recording after the event.

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