Grief after a medically assisted death

“MAiD was a vehicle that allowed her to choose her destiny as opposed to await her fate. I initially didn’t understand her choice of MAID, but what I’ve since realized is that I hadn’t accepted that she was in the process of dying.”

Being prepared for someone’s death because it was assisted, doesn’t mean that you won’t experience grief. Most people experience very common feelings of grief, such as: sadness, anger, guilt, disbelief and loneliness. Your grief will be impacted by the circumstances leading up to their death. This is not an easy process - taking time to care for yourself and seeking support from others is important.

Your grief will also be impacted by your relationship to the person who died, eg, if they were your spouse, sibling, parent, adult child, friend etc. For information and resources related to grief and relationships, visit MyGrief.ca.

Resources

Relationship Series - MyGrief.ca

What is unique about grief after MAiD?

At the foundation of all loss and grief, regardless of the circumstances of the death, are similar emotions, thoughts and even behaviours. But when someone important to you dies with MAiD, it can result in feelings and experiences that may be different than with other deaths.

Grief and Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) on MyGrief.ca is one of a series of resources on grief that can help you to understand and care for yourself as you grieve, with a focus on what is different about grief when someone has died with MAiD.

Supporting grieving children and youth

There are excellent resources to guide parents and others in supporting children and youth who are grieving.

Kidsgrief.ca is an online resource to help support children when someone in their life is dying or has died. It helps give parents or other family members the words and confidence needed to help children grieve life’s losses in healthy ways. Chapter seven in module two focuses specifically on grief after an assisted death.

Resources