Global experts to debate dementia and assisted dying at QUT conference

Dementia, global trends, community attitudes, conscientious objections by doctors and health facilities, Indigenous perspectives, and organ donation are among agenda topics for the International Conference on Assisted Dying and Other End of Life Care (ICEL5) at QUT next month.

Co-chair Professor Ben White, who co-leads the End-of-Life Research Program within the QUT Australian Centre for Health Law Research, said the conference would feature speakers from Australia, along with The Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, the USA, Spain, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sri Lanka and elsewhere who will give presentations from April 8-11 at the QUT Gardens Point Campus.

The conference, which is open to the media and interested public, brings together global experts – researchers, clinicians and policymakers – to discuss critical issues in voluntary assisted dying (VAD). Attendees can look forward to more than 130 presentations on the critical issues in the field."

Professor Ben White, QUT

"Some especially topical questions to be addressed include whether VAD should be permitted for dementia with a plenary session scheduled for the start of day two - Dementia and Assisted Dying: International Perspectives on Advance Requests - with presenters from Canada and The Netherlands.

"This will be followed by a series of presentations about VAD and dementia including one on the perspectives of people living with dementia and carers by QUT Research Fellow and PhD candidate Casey Haining.

"Other presentations and panel discussions will consider whether institutions should be able to prevent VAD happening in their facilities, what community attitudes are towards VAD, and should organ donation be allowed after VAD and in what circumstances?

"Whether or not minors should be able to access VAD will also be discussed, along with Indigenous experiences of VAD, how to support the needs of relatives in terms of bereavement care, the ethical dilemmas faced by pharmacists, and how to make sure VAD systems operate safely and protect all involved."