Having watched his brother-in-law experience a lingering and undignified death for 17 days in a palliative care ward, retiree Alan Winter is calling on Queenslanders to sign an E-petition calling for Optional Compassionate Assisted Dying for people in palliative care.
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Dean Bradshaw was 84 when he died in April - two years after marrying his childhood sweetheart Gaynor.
Dean had been in and out of public and private hospitals almost continually from December 2023 with failing kidneys and liver, diabetes and complications following prostate surgery.
After a short while in palliative care, he was no longer able to take any food but was kept pain free with a morphine pump while his body began to shut down.
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Alan, who praised the medical care the palliative care staff gave, said the doctor explained that once this stage was reached, it was unusual for anyone to continue to live for more than four to five days but Dean lasted a total of 17 days.
Dean's wife and other family members sat with him, hour after hour, even when he was totally unresponsive and his extremities began to show signs of gangrene.
"He went from a robust soul to a bag of bones under a sheet and a shrunken head on a pillow," said Alan. "There is no legislation that allowed them (medical staff) to legally shorten his natural end of life."
Alan wants changes to the Voluntary Assisted Dying laws which would allow medical staff to end patients' suffering when they are in palliative care, either at home or in a recognised medical facility.
"We should have the right to determine when our life, or the life of a loved one has progressed to the stage that dignity is no longer present."
Alan also wants people to be able to make a medical directive in advance that would allow VAD in the event they develop dementia and have to enter palliative care.
"Dementia patients cannot access VAD and many thousands are expected to enter palliative care. Whilst palliative care can provide pain relief in most cases, dignity of "end of life" cannot be guaranteed."
Alan is aware the matter is a "can of worms" and will likely take years, if ever, to progress.
Sign the petition at www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/Petition-Details?id=4106
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Eileen Wood
I'm a senior news journalist at The Senior newspaper, the leading publication bringing targeted news on issues affecting older Australians. We cover NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, SA and WA. If you have a story idea I would love to hear it. You can email me: eileen.wood@thesenior.com.au or phone The Senior 02-4355-5000, mob. 0487 495 805
I'm a senior news journalist at The Senior newspaper, the leading publication bringing targeted news on issues affecting older Australians. We cover NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, SA and WA. If you have a story idea I would love to hear it. You can email me: eileen.wood@thesenior.com.au or phone The Senior 02-4355-5000, mob. 0487 495 805
