Canberran Gail Ford says she has lived a fortunate life.<\/p>\n
An educator and communicator with a passion to explore the world, she led study tours to Russia for Australian students from the late 80s until the 2010s.<\/p>\n
Recalling those adventures today, she still exudes a passion and a razor-sharp intelligence.<\/p>\n
But she is also very open about what Parkinson’s disease has stolen from her more recently.<\/p>\n
“The first sign I had Parkinson’s was my handwriting. Now it’s totally illegible.” she said.<\/p>\n
Her voice has also been reduced to just above a whisper \u2014 another of the many consequences of the disease.<\/p>\n
“Communication was very important and now I can’t communicate,” she said.<\/p>\n
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November 3 marks the beginning of the ACT’s voluntary assisted dying scheme. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Piper Duffy)<\/p>\n
Over the more than 20 years that Gail has lived with Parkinson’s, it has steadily and determinedly stripped away her abilities, and her independence.<\/p>\n
If you or anyone you know needs help:Lifeline<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0131 114Kids Helpline<\/a> on 1800 551 800Beyond Blue<\/a> on 1300 224 63613 YARN<\/a> on 13 92 76Suicide Call Back Service<\/a> on 1300 659 467MensLine Australia<\/a> on 1300 789 978Headspace<\/a> on 1800 650 890ReachOut<\/a>SANE <\/a>on 1800 187 263Call triple-0 if you need immediate care<\/p>\n For a while she was able to manage her condition with a variety of treatments, including several years of direct brain stimulation therapy \u2014allowing her to live with a degree of autonomy.<\/p>\n But then came 2024.<\/p>\n “Talk about annus horribilis, oh my gosh! I was five months I think, in six different hospitals,” she said.<\/p>\n Two serious falls resulted in a dislocated shoulder, breaks to her hip, ribs and wrist.<\/p>\n The ongoing complex physical damage permanently affected much of her basic ability to function.<\/p>\n “A text message might be two lines long; it could take me 10 minutes,” she said.<\/p>\n “A reasonably short paragraph [to type on a computer] might take half an hour because there’s so many mistakes.”<\/p>\n Gail Ford plans to apply for the voluntary assisted dying scheme once she feels her quality of life has diminished beyond recovery. (ABC News)<\/p>\n For someone whose life was built on a foundation of connecting with people across the globe, Gail said it was heartbreaking to be forced to withdraw from society.<\/p>\n “I’m in a wheelchair now \u2026 my speech is much worse, and I really can’t socialise at all,” she said.<\/p>\n She said some people even avoided making contact because they struggled to understand her, leaving her feeling isolated.<\/p>\n Gail said for those reasons and more, she wanted the option of voluntary assisted dying.<\/p>\n “I think it’s important to have a choice and to die with dignity,” she said.<\/p>\n “Everyone should have that ability because death for many people is not dignified and it’s not pleasant.”<\/p>\n Voluntary assisted dying scheme begins today Kate Reed says the voluntary assisted dying scheme is part of ensuring people can have a high quality of life up until their death. (ABC News: Callum Flinn)<\/p>\n November 3 marks the beginning of the ACT’s voluntary assisted dying scheme, making the territory the second-last Australian jurisdiction to legalise it.<\/p>\n For Kate Reed, it comes down to care, dignity and choice.<\/p>\n “We are really being much more open in these conversations and the reality that we’re all going to die someday, and let’s do everything we possibly can to improve our quality of lives every day up until that time,” she said.<\/p>\n Ms Reed is a palliative care nurse practitioner, who has been by the side of countless people during their last days on earth.<\/p>\n She is also a director of the taskforce charged with getting the voluntary assisted dying scheme started.<\/p>\n Ms Reed said many people in the ACT had questions or were seeking detailed information about the process.<\/p>\n “There’s a lot of thirst for knowledge, not just around voluntary assisted dying, but more as it is as an end-of-life option \u2014 not an alternative \u2014 to palliative care,” she said.<\/p>\n The ACT’s voluntary assisted dying scheme will exist in addition to all other end-of-life care services. (Unsplash: Manny Becerra)<\/p>\n She believes that improving people’s ability to speak about their end-of-life stages \u2014 whatever they might look like \u2014 has been a positive aspect of recent months.<\/p>\n “The implementation of voluntary assisted dying \u202fhas really helped bring those conversations to the surface,” Ms Reed said.<\/p>\n And she is keen to emphasise that all other current options and services for people at the end of life will remain available.<\/p>\n “Everything else will still be there.\u202fPalliative care will still be there,” she said.<\/p>\n “This is adding to the healthcare of a person, not taking anything away.”A train you can get off at any station<\/p>\n There are some key criteria that a person must meet, if they wish to access the ACT’s voluntary assisted dying scheme. A person must:<\/p>\n Be 18 or olderHave lived in the ACT for the last 12 months (unless a residency exemption is granted).Have an advanced and progressive medical condition that is expected to cause death and is causing intolerable sufferingHave decision making capacity at all stages throughout the processBe acting voluntarily and without coercion.Death timeframe requirement a barrier to dying with dignity <\/a><\/p>\n Alan Clark\u00a0wanted to end his life on his own terms after a devastating diagnosis, but he died a “horrific” death before he had a chance.<\/p>\n But, unlike other jurisdictions, the ACT’s scheme does not require someone to have a diagnosed timeframe until death.<\/p>\n The territory’s legislation also allows nurses to be qualified as voluntary assisted dying practitioners<\/a>.<\/p>\n “We currently have 29 voluntary assisted dying authorised practitioners,” Ms Reed said.<\/p>\n “That is a combination of medical practitioners, nurse practitioners and registered nurses.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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