Jarnhamar
Army.ca Myth
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Looks like VAC is taking a new approach to dealing with long wait times.
"Why don't you kill yourself."
"Why don't you kill yourself."
Veterans Affairs says worker ‘inappropriately’ discussed medically assisted death with veteran
- Thread starter Jarnhamar
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Why hasn't the Minister just stepped up and told VAC that offering assisted suicide is off the menu to be discussed?
If somebody wants to go that route they can go through their Dr., not have a bureaucrat recommend it on the phone...
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
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Holy crap.... I assume their staff have been encouraged to find ways to cut costs and reduce the workload pressure on VAC staff ...
Sources say a VAC service agent brought up medical assistance in dying, or MAID, unprompted in the conversation with the veteran. Global News is not identifying the veteran who was seeking treatment.
But multiple sources tell Global News the combat veteran never raised the issue, nor was he looking for MAID and was deeply disturbed by the suggestion. Multiple sources and VAC have told Global News that the discussion took place.
Sources close to the veteran say he and his family were disgusted by the conversation, and feel betrayed by the agency mandated to assist veterans. The sources said the veteran was seeking services to recover from injuries suffered in the line of duty, and had been experiencing positive improvements in his mental and physical health. They say the unprompted offer of MAID disrupted his progress and has been harmful to the veteran’s progress and his family’s wellbeing.
Global News has also learned of follow-up calls in which the agency apologized to the veteran but only after he lodged multiple complaints with VAC.
In a statement, Veterans Affairs confirmed the department is aware of what they called an incident between a veteran and VAC employee “where medical assistance in dying was discussed inappropriately.”
“VAC deeply regrets what transpired,” the statement reads, adding the agency is investigating the incident and that “appropriate administrative action will be taken.” VAC would not discuss the nature of the ongoing investigation or specifics of what consequences the employee might face, citing privacy concerns.
globalnews.ca
Veterans Affairs says worker ‘inappropriately’ discussed medically assisted death with veteran
A Canadian Forces veteran seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury was shocked when he was unexpectedly and casually offered medical assistance in dying by a Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) employee, sources tell Global News.Sources say a VAC service agent brought up medical assistance in dying, or MAID, unprompted in the conversation with the veteran. Global News is not identifying the veteran who was seeking treatment.
But multiple sources tell Global News the combat veteran never raised the issue, nor was he looking for MAID and was deeply disturbed by the suggestion. Multiple sources and VAC have told Global News that the discussion took place.
Sources close to the veteran say he and his family were disgusted by the conversation, and feel betrayed by the agency mandated to assist veterans. The sources said the veteran was seeking services to recover from injuries suffered in the line of duty, and had been experiencing positive improvements in his mental and physical health. They say the unprompted offer of MAID disrupted his progress and has been harmful to the veteran’s progress and his family’s wellbeing.
Global News has also learned of follow-up calls in which the agency apologized to the veteran but only after he lodged multiple complaints with VAC.
In a statement, Veterans Affairs confirmed the department is aware of what they called an incident between a veteran and VAC employee “where medical assistance in dying was discussed inappropriately.”
“VAC deeply regrets what transpired,” the statement reads, adding the agency is investigating the incident and that “appropriate administrative action will be taken.” VAC would not discuss the nature of the ongoing investigation or specifics of what consequences the employee might face, citing privacy concerns.
Veterans Affairs says worker ‘inappropriately’ discussed medically assisted death with veteran - National | Globalnews.ca
The offer was made despite the combat veteran not requesting the procedure or even mentioning the issue to his case manager, multiple sources told Global News.
globalnews.ca
Eye In The Sky
Army.ca Legend
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Speechless - there’s no words that come to me.
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Imagine that headline: "My spouse committed suicide because VAC told them it was okay to want to die."
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We, veterans, are just part of a more general trend in Canada. I don't like it very much, but caring for the physically and mentally disabled and for the elderly, who have, after all, lived long enough, is expensive, isn't it? And the health care system is in c crisis, isn't it? Maybe a little selective culling of the herd won't be so bad ...
... I wonder when it's my turn, I turned 80 a few weeks ago, I'm well past my allotted "three score years and ten." When will I become a Durban on society?
... I wonder when it's my turn, I turned 80 a few weeks ago, I'm well past my allotted "three score years and ten." When will I become a Durban on society?
I seem to recall a couple of anti vax types on this very site, having no issues with the pandemic culling the herd so they could still be able to go to garden centers without the hassle of wearing a mask…
The fact is that we have an ageing population that are living longer. Our lifespans are growing. People living well into their 80s and 90s is becoming a norm and not an anomaly and it needs to be adressed. I say this with personal experience with the LTC system and how broken it is.
It is expensive and more importantly it is hard. People should try and fix hard things instead of looking for the easy button.
On the OPs post though:
I support assisted suicide for people that are suffering unbearably and can make that conscious decision.
It should NEVER be a “treatment” option for mental health issues. The whole point is to prevent people from committing suicide is it not?
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This eventuality was predicted by those opposed to MAID legislation when it was before Parliament.
The Liberals roundly denounced anyone who suggested that such a thing would be possible.
Yet, here we are…
The Liberals roundly denounced anyone who suggested that such a thing would be possible.
Yet, here we are…
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I can remember not enough long-term care being available 30+ years ago, so this isn't something that has snuck up on us. Public solutions ended up being limited because no government wanted to spend enough to get 'er done, and private sector solutions ended up either creating sub-standard spaces, or government actually not offering up enough money to make it worthwhile for business.
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No government has wanted to address the problem, because the solution exceeds their potential four year tenure, and nobody wants to leave something the next guys can claim as their success. In addition, there are jurisdictions where any private involvement in healthcare is seen as the work of the devil, and you get chronic inaction.
What people don't realize is that the youngest cohort of the baby boom still has 15 years to go until they reach 80. Add another seven years of life once they enter a PCH, and we're looking at over 20 years of increased demand.
What people don't realize is that the youngest cohort of the baby boom still has 15 years to go until they reach 80. Add another seven years of life once they enter a PCH, and we're looking at over 20 years of increased demand.
Halifax Tar
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I think you're being a bit disingenuous. I haven't seen any calls for shipping the elderly off to the ice flows.
I also see no issue with MAID, and I have an uncle who did so at the end of his battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. But it needs to be a solution the patient desires, not the institution.
The irony for me WRT our elderly complaining about our health care system is that its you folks who were the ones who had the ability to set us up for success now and you didn't. So here we are.
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Fair!
Especially fair that it was my generation that worshipped at the alter of Pierre Trudeau and thought that the Canada Health Act was, in some, in any way, a useful bit of policy.
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QFTT
Very valid points.
In that generation’s defence though what was the expected life expectancy vs now. How many elderly lived and died in the family home with family vs LTCs or assisted living.
But it’s hard to argue against the point you brought up.
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
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Not sure who this guy is, but he provides a nice summary of the creepiness of this whole incident:
Canadian Veteran suffering PTSD and a brain injury was casually offered medical assistance in dying (MAID) as a treatment by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)
Canadian Veteran suffering PTSD and a brain injury was casually offered medical assistance in dying (MAID) as a treatment by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)
Halifax Tar
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They knew their generational population was huge, and they knew life expectancy was rising steadily. Fail to plan, plan to fail.
I have a niece who is going into mortuary services. Smart girl. Big business for the next 20 - 30 years.
Oh for sure. I agree with your premise.
But my parents never had to worry about LTC for their parents. The men died young in their 50s mostly. The women in their 80s but always had family looking after them.
My (our) generation is looking at now dealing with a broken system and doesn’t have the same family support network that existed back then.
There are creative ways to help though and I hope they get looked into. Tax credits, leave options and training for family members etc etc. Some of it would be easy to implement.
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