Jennifer Stevens died at home on Cortes Island on July 26th, 2022, surrounded by her family. Her body was tended to and remained in her cabin for three days. The friend who built an exquisite casket said, “It was really hard to build that coffin, I just wanted to keep working on it, keep adding things to it, I loved…
If you’re named as the executor in someone’s Will, you may need to probate the Will. Probate is a procedure done in court that confirms the Will is legally valid. Financial institutions and others holding assets of the estate often require assurance the Will presented is legally valid before transferring funds or assets. The executor of the Will may also…
A Will is a legal document that sets out what will happen after you die to (most of) your property and any minor children. It’s an important legal document, and one every adult should have. If you have considerable assets, if your Will might be contested, or if it’s complicated, it is wise to pay for the help of a…
Suzanne B. O’Brien RN, creator of Doulagivers, has been at the forefront of the End-of-Life Doula Movement in the United States since it began building momentum nearly a decade ago. She has years of experience working with over one thousand end-of-life patients as a hospice nurse and palliative care professional. Suzanne writes that Death is currently the number one fear…
In difficult times, hope can be the one thing that keeps our spirits afloat when all else seems lost. Though you may find yourself in a hole that is dark and deep and seems infinite, it won’t last forever. Someday you will look back and remember that time and place, and how difficult it was. Through the seasons of confusion,…
As people become aware of the environmental impact of both conventional burial and cremation, natural burial is becoming a choice in more communities. Rather than being new, this is a return to an older, simpler way of returning bodies to the earth. Here in Canada, burials must take place only in a designated cemetery, and graves are not re-used. Bodies…
Although most Canadians say they’d like to die at home, more than half of us die in a hospital. Subsequently, it is nurses, particularly those who work in hospice care, who are with the patient, or the patient and their family, when the death occurs. At our recent meeting, we invited Huguette, a retired hospice nurse, to share with us….
Medical Certification of Death or Death Certificate? These are two distinctly different legal documents that are both often referred to as the Death Certificate, thus creating confusion. The Medical Certification of Death or Coroner’s Medical Certificate of Death is a document completed and signed by a physician, nurse practitioner, or coroner. It includes the name of the deceased, and the…
Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAiD) first came into effect in June 2016. It continues to evolve, with the latest changes coming into effect in March 2021, and more expected in March 2023. The law “seeks to respect personal autonomy for those seeking access to MAiD, while at the same time protecting vulnerable people and the equality rights of all…
Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) is arguably a natural way to end a life. As the organs of the body shut down and eating becomes challenging, the person facing their end-of-life may prefer to collaborate with the dying process by abstaining from food and water. Loved ones insisting on nutrition and hydration, sometimes by tube feeding and IV lines,…