Voluntary assisted dying advocates are calling for the Northern Territory to “be bold” again and extend euthanasia access to people suffering from dementia.
Jack Ellis, 80, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2021, and is being supported by his partner Chris Tyzack. The Wagait Beach couple both signed advanced personal plans before Jack’s diagnosis, requesting access to VAD if and when their health meets certain conditions.
“It’s pretty clear that the trajectory of Alzheimer’s disease has a very known path; what’s unknown is the time,” Ms Tyzack said. “Basically you die because you can’t swallow – we don’t want to be there. Jack doesn’t want to be bedridden in a hospital, where he can’t communicate with anybody, is not mobile anymore, and basically dies of starvation.”
Mr Ellis added an emphatic “No thank you”, saying it would be reassuring to know he could access VAD if it got to that stage.
Ms Tyzack argued that if advance personal plans were made when someone was cognitively unimpaired, “it’s the same as anyone else. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to access a piece of legislation that is designed to relieve the issues around terminal illness. It is a terminal illness, dementia, let’s not beat around the bush,” she said.
An independent expert advisory panel is currently consulting to prepare a report for developing a VAD framework in the Territory.
The NT was a world leader as the first to introduce VAD in 1995, but is now the last jurisdiction in the country to begin legislating a euthanasia scheme.
None of the existing schemes in Australia have extended access to people with dementia and Mr Ellis said he believed Territorians were brave enough to be leaders once more.
Ms Tyzack agreed, saying it is “an opportunity for the Territory to be bold again”.
Duncan Mcconnel SC, who is co-chairing the expert advisory panel alongside former NT Administrator Vicki O’Halloran AO, said there was a strong call from sectors of the community to “be bold” when it comes to dementia.
“One issue that comes up continuously in public forums with strong support is VAD for people experiencing dementia, to be able to use an advance care plan,” he said. “That would be incredibly groundbreaking. And it has all sorts of ethical and difficult issues attached to it, but it’s one that the panel will examine because it’s an issue that our consultations have identified as an important one.”
Council on the Ageing NT does not currently support dementia being included in VAD laws for fear of elder abuse and questions of how advanced someone’s mental decline would have to be before they can access the scheme.
By Fia Walsh
[Source: NT News]
(Note: This is an extract from the article originally published in NT News on 27 February 2024)