Register for the next Compassionate Community Care - Visitor Training Program on June 17/18.

Kathy Matusiak Costa

Register for the free online Being With My Story Visitor Volunteer Training program on taking place on June 17 and 18. Learn how to  be an effective caring visitor of people in your community.

 

Register online (Registration Link).

The online training is provided by Compassionate Community Care (CCC) and is co-hosted by CCC Executive Director, Kathy Matusiak Costa and Alex Schadenberg, EPC Executive Director.

Alex Schadenberg

Gain the confidence to journey with people in your community who are lonely, socially isolated, sick, or dying, to renew their hope and purpose to live until they die.

 

The Training Workshop is composed of two sessions, each session is two hours held on: 

Wednesday June 17 (7 pm - 9 pm) (EST)

Thursday June 18 (7 pm - 9 pm) (EST)

With Kathy Matusiak Costa, Executive Director of Compassionate Community Care, and Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. 

Register online now: (Registration Link)

 

Compassionate Community Care: 

383 Horton St. E, London, ON N6B 1L6
Office: 519-439-6445 

info@beingwith.org • www.beingwith.org

CCC Helpline: 1-855-675-8749

 

Charitable registration # 824667869RR0001

When MAiD starts, its relentless, it goes after every part of society and affects everyone

This article was published by the Compassionate Community Care blog.

Calls have been steady on the CCC helpline. Some, callers are looking to help loved ones turn away from assisted suicide, others need assistance regarding advocacy or ensuring their loved one’s needs are being met and they have not been treated wrongly. 

This article captures one caller’s response, her reality and experience with MAiD being drawn on around her, for her one family member and to those vulnerable in her community.

Quotes from Laura*, one women’s experience (Ontario, Canada):

I was shocked when I first heard about MAiD, I was volunteering at a hospital and we were ordered not to talk about it; this was just before Covid. Then more and more people were talking to the patients about it, yet volunteers could not object and say anything to dissuade patients or their family members from choosing it: it was completely one-sided. I decided I was not going to go back to volunteering; I’m not going to comply with that.

When you find your own family members are talking about it, it hits a whole new level. “Yikes” – is my first line of thought, it’s creeping all over the place. My brother has terminal cancer, and he flew out the euthanasia term once while speaking to us: “when the time comes, I would go for MAID”, I was in shock. I didn’t know what to say. My query is when should we talk about? His comment caught me by surprise, I was not prepared and I did not know how to respond. Now I’m better equipped to deal with it.

It’s insidious, a friend of mine was all for having MAID done for her husband, ‘there’s nothing wrong with it.’ And yet, she goes to church all the time. It’s creeping into every element of society.

When I first called the CCC helpline, and was told about what actually happens when you get euthanized, the injections you get -- it’s not necessarily pain-free, no suffering, and the easy exit people assume it is. There are accounts and publications that share the experience of it each injection does something else: the first immobilizes you, then the second injection feels like an “internal inferno,” followed by a “drowning sensation,” and then finally, the heart stops beating, a cardiac arrest. All of it can last anywhere from 5-30 minutes. I’ve never heard of what the process may feel like, I liked knowing this so I can share it with others.

What so many who are desperate at end-of-life don’t realize, is that there is always a cure for the pain. Not long ago, a person was in hospital and getting treatment, after the staff approached her about her considering getting euthanized and she refused, they made it so she had another week in the hospital and after that she would be charged $800/day. She went through with and got MAiD, instead of being charged.

Recently at a local organizational meeting, one of the meeting members threw out the idea of MAID for her own husband (he was sick since 2009), I was shocked and saddened she would wish this for her own husband. I believe it was her sharing she needs helps, respite care and support as she’s probably burned out. She doesn’t have anybody and this is not a way for her to spend the last years of her life.

The bottom line is, MAiD/euthanasia - it’s not about caring for someone, it’s about money. The hospitals see this as a cost saving, and provide it readily to anyone for any reason.”

Join the "Dying to Meet You" webinar with Amanda Achtman (September 25).

Amanda Achtman

Register for the Zoom event with Amanda Achtman who has been studying, travelling and speaking about re-humanizing the culture and preventing euthanasia.

Amanda who is Dying to Meet You - will share her mission and her goals and relate them with stories and experiences to how we can change the culture by encouraging hope.

The Zoom event is Wednesday, Sept 25 at 2 pm (Eastern Time).

Register in advance for the event: (Registration Link)
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Amanda states:

Now we do not so much have a culture of death as we have death without culture.

That's why we need a better cultural conversation - one that explores death as an occasion for discovering who and what we truly are.

I am convinced that artistic beauty, humanizing storytelling, and edifying examples are critical to restoring our cultural health when it comes to our experiences of death and dying.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition encourages people to become active in their community, with friends and family and to share hope. EPC opposes euthanasia and assisted suicide, as we oppose killing people. We support a culture of care, such as Compassionate Community Care and Dying To Meet You initiatives.

Community of Hope Outreach: Connecting with Seniors Project.

Compassionate Community Care is seeking volunteers who are willing and able to participate in the Community of Hope Outreach: Connecting with Seniors Project.

The calling service is for persons aged 55+ who may be socially or physically isolated and are looking for (needing) support, or a friendly person to talk to on a regular basis.

Compassionate Community Care is looking for volunteers to make calls and seniors to receive calls.

Volunteers are needed to provide calls in both English and French.

Contact Compassionate Community Care if you are interested in volunteering or if you know of someone who should receive calls.

This project was funded by the Government of Canada's New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP), which provides funding for projects that make a difference in the lives of seniors in their communities.

Compassionate Community Care
383 Horton St. E., London ON N6B 1L6
Office: 519-439-6445, Email: info@beingwith.org
Website: www.beingwith.org
CCC Helpline: 1-855-675-8749
Charitable Registration # 824667869RR001

Are you grieving after a loved one died by euthanasia? Join a retreat day on Saturday May 25 in Toronto.

Are you grieving the loss of a loved one through Medical Assistance in Dying (euthanasia)?

Compassionate Community Care and St John The Compassionate Mission are hosting a retreat day for hospitality, support, reflection and sharing for those who are hurting from losing a loved one (friend or family) through (MAiD) euthanasia.

Anyone who is grieving is welcome.

The event is: Saturday May 25, 2024 from 12 to 8 pm.

The location: 155 Broadview Ave., Toronto ON M4M 2E9

There is a suggested donation of $100. Meals are provided.

For more information and to register email: info@beingwith.org or outreach@stmarysrefuge.org

Project Anna and Simeon.

October 24, 2023 free Zoom event: Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, Delta Hospice, and Compassionate Community Care.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC), Delta Hospice, and Compassionate Community Care (CCC) are offering a free online zoom event on October 24, 2023.

When: Tuesday, October 24, 2023

               4 pm Pacific (BC) Time 

               (7 pm Eastern Time)

Register in advance for this meeting: (Registration Link).

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information for joining the meeting.

Speakers

• Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition 
• Angelina Ireland, President - Delta Hospice Society
• Kathy Costa Matusiak, Executive Director - Compassionate Community  Care                  

Topics

Alex Schadenberg from the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition will provide a "Canadian update" based on recent stories and current trends. 

Angelina Ireland from the The Delta Hospice Society will speak about plans to institute the Guardian Angels program with Delta Hospice Society directions.

Kathy Matusiak Costa from CCC will explain the success of the Being With Visitor Training program, the Advocacy Training program and other CCC updates.

Register in advance for this meeting: (Registration Link).

You are not alone. Life-Protecting Power of Attorney for Personal Care can save your life

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Recently, someone asked me:

"Will a Power of Attorney for Personal Care document protect me from euthanasia when I can't speak for myself?"

EPC updated the Life Protecting Power of Attorney for Personal Care when euthanasia and assisted suicide was legalized in Canada. It will protect your life.

The Life-Protecting Power of Attorney for Personal Care is available in multiple formats: a general Canadian version, a British Columbia version, and two different American versions.

$10 is an inexpensive investment to protect your life.

EPC sells the Life Protecting Power of Attorney for Personal Care for $10 + taxes.

The Life Protecting Power of Attorney for Personal Care:

- ensures that your Power of Attorney will have the ability to uphold your values 

- protects you from euthanasia and assisted suicide

- defines the treatment decisions that you want in the event that you are unable to make decisions for yourself

The Life Protecting Power of Attorney gives you peace of mind that you are not alone. 

Euthanasia Prevention Coalition will help you if your expressed wishes are ignored or if a hospital or doctor pressures to impose decisions upon you.

To make a donation, or to order the Life Protecting Power of Attorney, (Information Link):

call: 1-877-439-3348 

email: info@epcc.ca

EPC works with Compassionate Community Care (CCC) to offer practical advice and support when you or a loved one are faced with difficult medical care decisions, or if you are concerned that a friend or a loved one is being denied basic care or has died by euthanasia.

Contact CCC at: 1-855-675-8749. 

Killing a spouse is not loving nor compassionate

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

People Magazine published an article on August 1 by Emily Palmer stating that David Hunter (76) who was recently convicted of manslaughter for killing his wife Janice, on December 18, 2021; did so "out of love."

The story of David and Janice Hunter will be used by the assisted suicide lobby to justify the concept of "compassionate homicide."

David Hunter was convicted of manslaughter, meaning that the judge determined that it was not a pre-meditated murder, and sentenced him to two years in prison. He was then released after being credited for serving 19 months in jail awaiting trial.

A previous article by Ryan Fahey published by the Mirror on May 10 reported that Hunter confessed to killing his "terminally ill" wife. Haematologist Dr Ourania Seimeni said Janice had myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), which is not necessarily terminal. The doctor admitted that 30 per cent of cases of MDS lead to leukaemia.

Fahey also reported that Hunter tried to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter but the charge of murder went forward to trial.

According to the accepted statement of facts, David Hunter killed his wife Janice by asphyxiation and then attempted to cause his own death by consuming a large amount of pills, but medical staff saved his life.

Research by Donna Cohen, a suicide researcher, and others prove that murder / suicide is rarely related to "compassionate" homicide.

Cohan stated the following in a Minnesota Tribune article from March 2009:

When people read reports of a murder-suicide they will often ask the question, was this an Act of love, or desperation? Cohen who has researched this question tries to find answers. 

She stated in the article:

That notion is common in murder-suicides, said Cohen, who has testified before Congress, written extensively and helped train families and physicians. She is a professor of aging and mental health at the University of South Florida and heads its Violence and Injury Prevention Program. 

"If they were consulted, families usually would try to stop it,'' she said. "In fact, murder-suicide almost always is not an act of love. It's an act of desperation."

Cohen also recognizes that murder-suicide does not equate with assisted suicide. Cohen stated:

Some people equate murder-suicide with assisted suicide and the right to control when you will die, Cohen said. "It usually is not the same. This is suicide and murder.''

I accept the idea that David Hunter was emotionally moved by his wife's "wish to die" but I do not accept the concept it is loving or compassionate to kill her.

A loving and compassionate response would be to help her receive pain and symptom relief and to assure her that her life had meaning, purpose and value.

It takes someone else being there, for a person in need, to choose to live.

The following was published by Compassionate Community Care on March 30, 2023.

“A world in which someone was prepared to listen to another’s distress seemed to her one in which it was worthwhile to live”1

By Alida Dance

When we look at how our world and how society functions today, it revolves around a lot of constant busyness and chaos. We may not even realize how easy it is to forget the most simple things in life.

This has become normal within our society, there are so many distractions at all times. How hard has it become to put aside distractions and give our full attentive heart to another person? We can see that there is a disconnect between people as the result of so many factors and I am sure you can think of some distractions you may struggle with, so I am not going to list them.

Let’s read this quote again. “A world in which someone was prepared to listen to another’s distress seemed to her one in which it was worthwhile to live.”

Viktor Frankl

This is referenced from the article attached below (it is worth a read!). This is the reason that a woman gave for choosing not to end her life. In summary, a woman had made a phone call in the middle of the night and the person on the other end answered, listened to her, helped talk her through depression, and gave her reasons to keep living. But none of the reasons he listed for her, were the reason why she chose to keep living. She chose to keep living because he answered the phone and just was willing to listen to her amidst her distress. This individual was Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist and and former prisoner from a Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Viktor Frankl describes his experience in his famous book Man’s Search for Meaning.

What captured this woman in need who one night called Dr Frankl is a familiar experience, a human experience of need, and seeking help, a call in distress encounters another who is willing to care and take time to listen and “be with” the other. This is the same experience that we share and can relate with here at Compassionate Community Care and is the exact reason for having established our helpline, 1-855-675-8749, for this reason: to be with, listen, and care for those who call.

At CCC, we are equipped and do our best to provide help and resources for any situation or circumstance someone may be reaching out for. Often when the person on the other end of the line makes the call, it can be as simple as just answering and listening. When you are being a person to share the weight that seems impossible for another to carry, it is not as heavy.

The helpline has been created for those who don’t know who else to turn to or for those who need extra support, and we are more than happy to help with any situation! We can all learn from this example of Viktor Frankl, and become more aware of and recognize what can make us distracted, and instead, drop everything and tune into the person and what they are saying. We can learn to hear beyond our ears and listen with our hearts; to better connect with others, heart to heart.

Have you ever experienced this kind of grace? How can you better listen to those around you? I challenge you to reflect on these questions and become aware of the things that separate us, because once we know where we fall short, we can make better efforts to fill the gaps and become better connected again.

1 Quote above from The Rabbi Sacks Legacy. Listening is the greatest gift we can give to a troubled soul. (2002 December 14). Retrieved on March 16, 2023, from (Link to the article).

EPC February 9 Webinar: Where can we go from here?

Join the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Zoom webinar on Thursday, February 9 at 7 pm (Eastern Time) with Gordon Friesen and Alex Schadenberg titled: Where can we go from here?

Register in advance: (Registration Link)

The webinar will include an update on Canada's euthanasia law and provide some direction related to Canada's healthcare system and the need for creating Compassionate Community Care.

Gordon Friesen is the President of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition and a disability leader. He has studied and followed the euthanasia issue since the 1990's.

Alex Schadenberg is the Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition since 1999 and the International Chair since 2007.

The webinar will include up-to-date information and direction while providing an opportunity for people to share questions and concerns.

Register in advance: (Registration Link)

Support Alex Schadenberg running a half marathon fund-raiser on September 24.

Support Compassionate Community Care (CCC) or the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) as Alex Schadenberg runs a half marathon (21.1 KM) at Hamilton Bay on Saturday September 24, 2022. 

This is the third year for Alex running a half-marathon fund-raiser for CCC and EPC. This run is organized for this purpose and is not combined with another event.

Similar to previous years, Alex will be running with Marcel Lemmen and a few others. If you are interested in joining the run email: alex@epcc.ca

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition informs, educates, and lobbies in opposition to killing by euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Donate to the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, which is not a charity, at: (Donation Link).

Compassionate Community Care is a charity that operates a help-line, it provides a training program for visiting seniors and others, it has developed an advocacy training program and it is currently doing a survey of seniors experiences with loneliness and isolation.

Charitable donations are made to Compassionate Community Care at: (Donation Link).

A story of a truly dignified death in Switzerland

A letter from a friend and supporter in Switzerland. Reprinted with permission.

De Visu/Shutterstock.com

In our family our Mom, Rita, died in February 2022. She was 94 years old.

In September 2021 she went for three weeks to a home for elderly people. She was not happy there, so we found a lady who came to her home, to stay with her, to eat lunch with her, to play cards.

In January 2022 she had a brain stripe and I asked her if she wanted to go to the hospital, she answered to me: No, I prefer to die at home and soon after, she went to heaven.

You know it was incredible. After the brain stripe she recovered a little bit and wanted to have a feast-meal with us. We had red wine and french fries.

And the last week before she died, I visited the neighbours house to ask them if they wanted to come, to say goodbye. 

A young couple came with their two kids. I told them that my mom liked to sing and that we could sing now at her bed to say goodbye. And we sang a child’s song. It was so beautiful to see how God arranged everything. It was an empowering experience. I am so grateful!

Now, I wish you a good summertime.

Liebe Grüsse für Alex und alle deine Lieben. A big hug from Zurich

Margrit

Register now: Compassionate Community Care (Being With) Visiting Training Sessions April 12 & 13.

 

Being With Volunteer Visiting Training

Gain the confidence to journey with those who are suffering, socially isolated, sick, or dying, to renew their hope and purpose in life.

Link to Promo for the Training event.

FREE Online Training – Live on Zoom!

Workshop is two sessions, each session is two hours:

Session 1: Tuesday April 12th 7 p.m.- 9 p.m. EST and

Session 2: Wednesday April 13th 7 p.m.-9 p.m. EST

With Kathy Matusiak Costa, Executive Director of Compassionate Community Care, and Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.

Click on this link to register in advance

Compassionate Community Care: 

383 Horton St. E, London, ON N6B 1L6
Office tel. 519-439-6445 • info@beingwith.org • www.beingwith.org

CCC Helpline: 1-855-675-8749 • Charitable registration # 824667869RR0001

Register Now: Meeting capacity is limited to 100 participants.