Experiences of grief-bereavement after a medically assisted death in Canada: Bringing death to life
Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) legislation was passed in Canada in 2016, yet the bereavement experience of family and friends is not well understood. Using interpretive description, we interviewed nine bereaved individuals. The time before the assisted death seems most impactful—an experience of bringing death to life shapes bereavement after death. We identified themes that inform this grieving: (1) certainty of date/time of death—intensifies a parade of lasts, initiates a countdown and affords time to say good-bye; (2) active family engagement as planners supports sense-making; and (3) enacting MAiD as ceremony slows time to “digest” loss.
Source: Death Studies
Authors: Rosanne Beuthin, Anne Bruce, Marney Thompson, A. E. (Betty) Andersen, Sarah Lundy
Institutions: Island Health, University of Victoria
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W3127035924