Questions of consent raised at Geraldton community forum on voluntary assisted dying
A community forum in Geraldton has reignited debate around one of the most sensitive issues in WA's voluntary assisted dying laws — the role of consent, particularly for people diagnosed with degenerative brain diseases.
The forum on May 9 was one of two local sessions hosted by the WA Voluntary Assisted Dying Statewide Care Navigator Service in partnership with Rural Health West, the Midwest Gascoyne Health Professional Network and the Midwest Palliative Care Service.
While the first session focused on educating rural health professionals, the second was open to the public and offered a platform for community questions and concerns.
In the first three years of the legislation, which came into effect in WA in July 2021, 69 first requests to access VAD were recorded in the Mid West, making it the third-highest region in the State after the South West and Great Southern, according to the 2023-24 annual report of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Board.
During that time, 40 people were assessed as eligible and underwent a first clinical assessment, while there were two participating VAD medical practitioners in the Mid West.
Almost 2500 people requested VAD across WA between 2021 and 2024., with 737 deaths recorded.
Statewide, VAD accounts for about 1.6 per cent of all deaths.
A person must meet specific criteria to access VAD, including being 18 or older, an Australian citizen or permanent resident who has lived in WA for 12 months, have a qualifying disease or illness, act voluntarily and without coercion, have an enduring request, and have decision-making capabilities.
One attendee at the forum asked whether the current legislation could ever change to allow people in the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer's to make an advanced request for VAD, knowing they would eventually lose the ability to give consent.
Under WA's current VAD laws, the legislation requires individuals to maintain full decision-making capacity throughout the entire process — for those with neurodegenerative diseases, they must have a prognosis of no more than 12 months to live.
If that capacity is lost at any point, the process cannot go ahead.
While VAD is intended to offer a compassionate choice for end of life, it does not currently accommodate advanced directives for those facing progressive degenerative conditions.
When asked if advanced consent would be something considered in WA legislation, Alice Morison, a nurse co-ordinator from WA VAD Statewide Care, said while it may not be something that happens soon, it was at the forefront of most discussions about VAD.
'If I know that I have dementia, could I put something in place? If I meet specific criteria at that time, the doctor would assist me to die? We're not there yet, and I don't think we're going to be there soon, but it's on the table,' she said.
'I just don't think it will happen soon, because I think we need a bit more time to understand what this looks like.
'We're not going to know really exactly what that will look like just yet, but at the end of the day, you'd be asking someone to administer a medication that would cause your death when you can't ask for it, and that's a tricky thing.'
Leesa Thomas, Rural Health West general manager education and engagement, said providing education on VAD helped to start important conversations and breakthrough the stigma surrounding the topic.
'The events empower both healthcare workers and community members to make informed choices, strengthens local care capacity, and promote respectful conversations around health and wellbeing,' she said.
'Delivering education where people live is especially important in rural and remote WA, where distance and isolation can often hinder access to information and support. By offering sessions locally, communities can engage in meaningful dialogue about important health topics that affect them directly.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
9 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'Game changer' diabetes pill a step closer after trials
Game-changing diabetes pills could hit Australian shelves within years, offering an alternative to popular injectable treatments like Ozempic that have been plagued with supply issues. That's the prediction from Australian diabetes experts, as the first phase three clinical trial data was released for a new type of medicine that lowers blood sugar. Once-a-day pill Orforglipron was shown to imitate a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite, according to the study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. "It's really, really exciting," Australian Diabetes Society chief executive Associate Professor Sof Andrikopoulos told AAP. "The reduction in blood glucose and weight with Orforglipron is similar, if not a little bit better, than the similar clinical trials that were done for Ozempic and Mounjaro." The results of the trials, involving 500 adults with type 2 diabetes, were unveiled at the American Diabetes Association annual meeting in Chicago over the weekend. Reported side effects were similar to existing medications like gastrointestinal issues, while the drug company did not flag any unexpected safety concerns. The trial focused on diabetes treatment and not specifically weight loss. Other oral diabetes medications already exist but this medication is significant as it's the first synthetic treatment to reach phase three trials, Prof Andrikopoulos said. He expected approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration would be "reasonable straightforward" once it receives an application by drug developer Eli Lilly, which also makes Mounjaro. The synthetic chemical is easier to make than other drugs involving modified peptides and doesn't need to be refrigerated, hoping it would be cheaper and easier to transport to remote areas than injectable treatments. "These are potentially disease modifying therapies, and in that respect it's a game-changer," Prof Andrikopoulos said. "In terms of managing types of diabetes and obesity, I think we are at the cusp of being able to make a significant impact on reducing obesity in Australia and around the world." Sydney-based Endocrinologist Associate Professor Ted Wu treats many patients with diabetes and said physicians had been "crying out" for oral alternatives to incretin injections. While optimistic about the findings, he cautioned it was not a "head to head" trial measuring the effectiveness of Orforglipron against injections but said it appears the results were very similar. "As it stands, this looks like it offers all the advantages of the current incretin injections, but with all the advantages of an oral once-a-day medication and hopefully with far fewer supply issues," he said. Prof Wu said looking at past performance, the TGA would probably take between 12 and 24 months to approve the new drug. Game-changing diabetes pills could hit Australian shelves within years, offering an alternative to popular injectable treatments like Ozempic that have been plagued with supply issues. That's the prediction from Australian diabetes experts, as the first phase three clinical trial data was released for a new type of medicine that lowers blood sugar. Once-a-day pill Orforglipron was shown to imitate a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite, according to the study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. "It's really, really exciting," Australian Diabetes Society chief executive Associate Professor Sof Andrikopoulos told AAP. "The reduction in blood glucose and weight with Orforglipron is similar, if not a little bit better, than the similar clinical trials that were done for Ozempic and Mounjaro." The results of the trials, involving 500 adults with type 2 diabetes, were unveiled at the American Diabetes Association annual meeting in Chicago over the weekend. Reported side effects were similar to existing medications like gastrointestinal issues, while the drug company did not flag any unexpected safety concerns. The trial focused on diabetes treatment and not specifically weight loss. Other oral diabetes medications already exist but this medication is significant as it's the first synthetic treatment to reach phase three trials, Prof Andrikopoulos said. He expected approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration would be "reasonable straightforward" once it receives an application by drug developer Eli Lilly, which also makes Mounjaro. The synthetic chemical is easier to make than other drugs involving modified peptides and doesn't need to be refrigerated, hoping it would be cheaper and easier to transport to remote areas than injectable treatments. "These are potentially disease modifying therapies, and in that respect it's a game-changer," Prof Andrikopoulos said. "In terms of managing types of diabetes and obesity, I think we are at the cusp of being able to make a significant impact on reducing obesity in Australia and around the world." Sydney-based Endocrinologist Associate Professor Ted Wu treats many patients with diabetes and said physicians had been "crying out" for oral alternatives to incretin injections. While optimistic about the findings, he cautioned it was not a "head to head" trial measuring the effectiveness of Orforglipron against injections but said it appears the results were very similar. "As it stands, this looks like it offers all the advantages of the current incretin injections, but with all the advantages of an oral once-a-day medication and hopefully with far fewer supply issues," he said. Prof Wu said looking at past performance, the TGA would probably take between 12 and 24 months to approve the new drug. Game-changing diabetes pills could hit Australian shelves within years, offering an alternative to popular injectable treatments like Ozempic that have been plagued with supply issues. That's the prediction from Australian diabetes experts, as the first phase three clinical trial data was released for a new type of medicine that lowers blood sugar. Once-a-day pill Orforglipron was shown to imitate a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite, according to the study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. "It's really, really exciting," Australian Diabetes Society chief executive Associate Professor Sof Andrikopoulos told AAP. "The reduction in blood glucose and weight with Orforglipron is similar, if not a little bit better, than the similar clinical trials that were done for Ozempic and Mounjaro." The results of the trials, involving 500 adults with type 2 diabetes, were unveiled at the American Diabetes Association annual meeting in Chicago over the weekend. Reported side effects were similar to existing medications like gastrointestinal issues, while the drug company did not flag any unexpected safety concerns. The trial focused on diabetes treatment and not specifically weight loss. Other oral diabetes medications already exist but this medication is significant as it's the first synthetic treatment to reach phase three trials, Prof Andrikopoulos said. He expected approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration would be "reasonable straightforward" once it receives an application by drug developer Eli Lilly, which also makes Mounjaro. The synthetic chemical is easier to make than other drugs involving modified peptides and doesn't need to be refrigerated, hoping it would be cheaper and easier to transport to remote areas than injectable treatments. "These are potentially disease modifying therapies, and in that respect it's a game-changer," Prof Andrikopoulos said. "In terms of managing types of diabetes and obesity, I think we are at the cusp of being able to make a significant impact on reducing obesity in Australia and around the world." Sydney-based Endocrinologist Associate Professor Ted Wu treats many patients with diabetes and said physicians had been "crying out" for oral alternatives to incretin injections. While optimistic about the findings, he cautioned it was not a "head to head" trial measuring the effectiveness of Orforglipron against injections but said it appears the results were very similar. "As it stands, this looks like it offers all the advantages of the current incretin injections, but with all the advantages of an oral once-a-day medication and hopefully with far fewer supply issues," he said. Prof Wu said looking at past performance, the TGA would probably take between 12 and 24 months to approve the new drug. Game-changing diabetes pills could hit Australian shelves within years, offering an alternative to popular injectable treatments like Ozempic that have been plagued with supply issues. That's the prediction from Australian diabetes experts, as the first phase three clinical trial data was released for a new type of medicine that lowers blood sugar. Once-a-day pill Orforglipron was shown to imitate a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite, according to the study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. "It's really, really exciting," Australian Diabetes Society chief executive Associate Professor Sof Andrikopoulos told AAP. "The reduction in blood glucose and weight with Orforglipron is similar, if not a little bit better, than the similar clinical trials that were done for Ozempic and Mounjaro." The results of the trials, involving 500 adults with type 2 diabetes, were unveiled at the American Diabetes Association annual meeting in Chicago over the weekend. Reported side effects were similar to existing medications like gastrointestinal issues, while the drug company did not flag any unexpected safety concerns. The trial focused on diabetes treatment and not specifically weight loss. Other oral diabetes medications already exist but this medication is significant as it's the first synthetic treatment to reach phase three trials, Prof Andrikopoulos said. He expected approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration would be "reasonable straightforward" once it receives an application by drug developer Eli Lilly, which also makes Mounjaro. The synthetic chemical is easier to make than other drugs involving modified peptides and doesn't need to be refrigerated, hoping it would be cheaper and easier to transport to remote areas than injectable treatments. "These are potentially disease modifying therapies, and in that respect it's a game-changer," Prof Andrikopoulos said. "In terms of managing types of diabetes and obesity, I think we are at the cusp of being able to make a significant impact on reducing obesity in Australia and around the world." Sydney-based Endocrinologist Associate Professor Ted Wu treats many patients with diabetes and said physicians had been "crying out" for oral alternatives to incretin injections. While optimistic about the findings, he cautioned it was not a "head to head" trial measuring the effectiveness of Orforglipron against injections but said it appears the results were very similar. "As it stands, this looks like it offers all the advantages of the current incretin injections, but with all the advantages of an oral once-a-day medication and hopefully with far fewer supply issues," he said. Prof Wu said looking at past performance, the TGA would probably take between 12 and 24 months to approve the new drug.
AU Financial Review
10 hours ago
- AU Financial Review
‘Game changer' diabetes pill a step closer after trials
Game-changing diabetes pills could hit Australian shelves within years, offering an alternative to popular injectable treatments such as Ozempic that have been plagued with supply issues. That's the prediction from Australian diabetes experts, as the first phase three clinical trial data was released for a new type of medicine that lowers blood sugar. AAP
West Australian
11 hours ago
- West Australian
'Game changer' diabetes pill a step closer after trials
Game-changing diabetes pills could hit Australian shelves within years, offering an alternative to popular injectable treatments like Ozempic that have been plagued with supply issues. That's the prediction from Australian diabetes experts, as the first phase three clinical trial data was released for a new type of medicine that lowers blood sugar. Once-a-day pill Orforglipron was shown to imitate a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite, according to the study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. "It's really, really exciting," Australian Diabetes Society chief executive Associate Professor Sof Andrikopoulos told AAP. "The reduction in blood glucose and weight with Orforglipron is similar, if not a little bit better, than the similar clinical trials that were done for Ozempic and Mounjaro." The results of the trials, involving 500 adults with type 2 diabetes, were unveiled at the American Diabetes Association annual meeting in Chicago over the weekend. Reported side effects were similar to existing medications like gastrointestinal issues, while the drug company did not flag any unexpected safety concerns. The trial focused on diabetes treatment and not specifically weight loss. Other oral diabetes medications already exist but this medication is significant as it's the first synthetic treatment to reach phase three trials, Prof Andrikopoulos said. He expected approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration would be "reasonable straightforward" once it receives an application by drug developer Eli Lilly, which also makes Mounjaro. The synthetic chemical is easier to make than other drugs involving modified peptides and doesn't need to be refrigerated, hoping it would be cheaper and easier to transport to remote areas than injectable treatments. "These are potentially disease modifying therapies, and in that respect it's a game-changer," Prof Andrikopoulos said. "In terms of managing types of diabetes and obesity, I think we are at the cusp of being able to make a significant impact on reducing obesity in Australia and around the world." Sydney-based Endocrinologist Associate Professor Ted Wu treats many patients with diabetes and said physicians had been "crying out" for oral alternatives to incretin injections. While optimistic about the findings, he cautioned it was not a "head to head" trial measuring the effectiveness of Orforglipron against injections but said it appears the results were very similar. "As it stands, this looks like it offers all the advantages of the current incretin injections, but with all the advantages of an oral once-a-day medication and hopefully with far fewer supply issues," he said. Prof Wu said looking at past performance, the TGA would probably take between 12 and 24 months to approve the new drug.
