Our Gossip Gal, Dawn Simpson, attended the recent AGM for Dying With Dignity in Sydney, and gave an emotional address to the audience, telling them of her and her husband Bob's journey through early onset dementia and how, unfortunately, dementia patients will be excluded from the new Euthenasia laws due to their inabilty to speak and write for themselves.
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Dying with Dignity NSW is an advocacy group campaigning for voluntary assisted dying laws in NSW.
While much of their time is spent lobbying members of parliament, they also provide advice and resources to the community about end of life issues.
Dying with Dignity NSW President, Penny Hackett, believes "everyone wants a good death", but unfortunately this is not always the reality for many people.
"It's ironic that medical science has made miraculous advances in curing diseases and extending life, but often the quality of that life leaves a lot to be desired," she said. "The dying process can often be prolonged and difficult."
Dying with Dignity NSW acknowledges the importance of palliative care, but unfortunately evidence shows that it is not always able to relieve all suffering at end of life.
"It can't deal with the psychological and existential suffering, such as the loss of independence or the inability to eat or communicate with loved ones, which many dying people find more distressing than the physical symptoms," Ms Hackett said.
"To have some control over the dying process can provide great comfort when someone is approaching death.
"When you know your time is limited, the fear of a 'bad death' can have a terrible effect on one's ability to make the most of the time they have left."
Recent polls indicate that 85 per cent of Australians want assisted dying laws, so Dying with Dignity NSW will be ramping up their campaign in the lead up to the introduction of the next NSW Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill later this year.
They encourage all those who supports this issue to contact their local member of parliament and ask them to support the next bill.
They can also sign up on the Dying With Dignity NSW website.