This episode of Deadly Serious Conversations is on the topic of Voluntary Assisted Dying. 

" Voluntary Assisted Dying" is the term given in Australia, referring to the assistance given by a health practitioner to a person to end their life. 
The term “voluntary” assisted dying emphases the voluntary nature, of the choice, of the person and their enduring capacity to make this decision. 

Put simply, Voluntary Assisted Dying, means that some adults, can now ask for medical help to end their life, if they have a disease or illness, that is so severe that it is going to cause their death and their suffering cannot be relieved in a manner that is tolerable to them. 

Victoria was the first state in Australia to pass legislation allowing Voluntary Assisted Dying to happen. 

There is a very specific eligibility criteria for VAD and it is not available to everyone. 

In this conversation with Cheryl, we talk about her and her dad Jim’s experience when he availed of the VAD programme earlier this year. 

This is Jim’s story and it is definitely worth listening to so we can all learn more about VAD.