Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)

Click the image below to read the story of Lora Burke who, at age 94, had already suffered an excruciating bout with cancer and vowed not to have a ‘repeat performance.’ So she ended her life in a dignified, self-determining manner by enacting MAID. The story comes from RVH’s 2019 edition of Vitalsigns.

Medical Assistance In Dying is an end-of-life care option that an individual, with a serious condition causing long-term suffering, can voluntarily request.

Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID) is when:

• a physician or nurse practitioner administers medications, at your request, that will end your life, or
• the prescribing of a substance by a physician or nurse practitioner, at your request, that when self-administered will end your life

At RVH, MAID is only offered by a physician or nurse practitioner administering medications. A prescription to be self-administered is not an option offered at RVH.

MAID is a complex and deeply personal topic. When making a decision regarding MAID, your healthcare team will make sure you understand your options and can communicate your decision. You will have time to think about your decision and may change your decision at any time.

While end-of-life choices are very personal decisions, there are some common reasons why patients request MAID.

Some patients may wish to:

• Be free from pain and suffering
• Control when and how death occurs
• Avoid poor and declining quality of life

Medical Assistance in Dying is governed by the Government of Canada, for more information please visit Canada.ca

There are eligibility requirements to receive MAID.

To receive Medical Assistance in Dying in Ontario, you must:

• be eligible to receive publicly funded healthcare services in Canada
• be 18 years of age or older
• be capable of making healthcare decisions
• be able to provide informed consent, which means that you have given permission after you have received all the information you need to make your decision
• voluntarily request Medical Assistance In Dying
• have a grievous and irremediable medical condition, which means you:
  • have a serious and incurable illness, disease or disability
  • are in an advanced state of irreversible decline
  • are enduring physical or psychological suffering, caused by the medical condition or the state of decline, that is intolerable and cannot be relieved

*Currently, Canadians whose only medical condition is a mental illness, and who otherwise meet all eligibility criteria, are not eligible for MAID.

To request MAID, you must make a written request by completing the Ontario government request form. The request form is submitted to your physician or nurse practitioner. Once submitted, two or more physicians or nurse practitioners must assess and confirm that you meet all of the eligibility criteria.

You can request MAID at a hospital, a long-term care home, a hospice or palliative care facility or your home. At RVH, MAID is only offered by a physician or nurse practitioner administering medications. A prescription to be self-administered is not an option offered at RVH.

For more information about how to request MAID in Ontario, including eligibility, please visit Dying With Dignity  for a comprehensive review of Bill C-7 or visit ontario.ca.

Once you have requested MAID and received assessments by two or more physicians or nurse practitioners confirming your eligibility, you will still have time to consider your decision.

You can withdraw your request at any time.

If your natural death is not reasonably foreseeable, you must wait at least 90 days between submitting your written request and receiving MAID. During this time a comprehensive assessment of your individual circumstances leading to your request for MAID will be completed to determine your eligibility to proceed. In cases where loss of capacity to provide informed consent is imminent and you have been found eligible for MAID, a waiver of final consent may be completed.

If you are eligible for MAID and death is found to be reasonably foreseeable then accommodation for a shorter wait time can proceed when the patient and physician are ready.

When MAID is provided, the physician or nurse practitioner will either administer drugs to cause death or will write a prescription for you to fill on your own. At RVH, MAID is only offered by a physician or nurse practitioner administering medications. A prescription to be self-administered is not an option offered at RVH. 

Before providing proceeding with MAID, your doctor or nurse practitioner will give you the opportunity to withdraw your request and get your final consent to proceed.

The Government of Ontario has made an information booklet on how to request MAID and the process of MAID for patients. You can read this booklet by clicking here.

Click here link to read the FAQs.

Click here to view the MAID brochure.