Category: Social Work, Clinical
Other: Washington
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*This is an external course, held outside of the CE Institute. You will receive access instructions one (1) week prior to the event date.
The NASW policy, Client Self-Determination in End-of-Life Decisions, states “Social workers have an important role in helping individuals identify the end-of-life options available to them. A key value for social workers is client self-determination. Competent individuals should have the opportunity to make their own choices, but only after being informed of all options and consequences... without coercion” (NASW, 2003).
This workshop will introduce an end-of-life option available in Washington state, but not commonly understood. Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) was made legal in Washington over 12 years ago through the Death with Dignity (DwD) Act and is available to individuals in Washington with 6 months or less life expectancy due to terminal illness. The original law was amended in 2023 to decrease barriers to access. This workshop will also discuss the updates made to the original law in detail so that social workers can adequately advocate for patients who might be seeking access to MAID.
Due to advances in medical technology, rising rates of chronic illness, increasing numbers of elderly and longer life spans, there is a need for social workers in all fields, particularly those who work in healthcare, with aging adults and geriatric populations, to understand these end-of-life options.
Workshop participants will gain an in-depth understanding of MAID and will learn about resources, including End of Life Washington (EOLWA): a statewide non-profit organization with over 80 volunteers across the state available to collaborate and support clients in end-of-life care planning and decision-making.
Workshop participants will also work through case studies and small group discussions to build skills in end-of-life support scenarios utilizing “NASW Standards for End of Life Care”. End-of-life decision-making includes ethical, religious, cultural, emotional, legal, and policy concerns and concerns individuals’ deepest fears, values, and beliefs. Social workers have training and expertise in working with complicated intersections of individual, family, community, and culture and have important roles as clinicians, educators, researchers, advocates, and community leaders. This workshop will help advance these skills relating to Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) and Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) to improve care and support for those facing terminal illness and unacceptable suffering.
Learning Objectives
- List the basic qualifications for Washington’s Death with Dignity Act/Medical Aid in Dying (MAID).
- Learn how to support individuals through the process to access medications, plan their last day in collaboration with End of Life Washington.
- State the updates to the original Death with Dignity Act.
- Describe how to apply NASW Standards for End of Life Care to end-of-life options such as MAID.
- Discuss how culture and values can complicate end-of-life decision making.
- Utilize End of Life Washington resources to ethically support the self-determination of individuals facing terminal illness and unacceptable suffering.
