MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014 Death With Dignity WINS OUTSMART Dementia Olympia Dukakis Answers Our 5 Questions Champions Circle monthly giving Summer 2014 program allows you to contribute contents Vol. 13 / No. 3 automatically each month, helping us plan our work more effectively. Signing up is simple, and you can make changes or cancel at any time. FEATURES Join our Champions Circle with the 16 06 Outsmart Dementia: State Your envelope in this issue or online at End-of-Life Wishes CompassionAndChoices.org/Donate A supporter urges everyone to add C&C’s exclusive dementia provision to their advance directive. 08 Death With Dignity Is a Winning Be a CHAMPION for Choice Election Issue Increasingly, candidates are successfully campaigning on a death-with-dignity platform. 06 DEPARTMENTS 02 Inside View 03 Words & Pictures 03 04 Keeping Count 05 Words to Live (and Die) By Compassion & Choices is the nation’s oldest and largest 11 nonprofit organization working to improve care and expand Rx for Peace at Life’s End choice at the end of life. We: Knowing that I am Support patients and families “automatically, once a 12 Advocacy in Action Educate the public and professionals Advocate across the nation month, financially supporting 16 National Programs Update Advancing death with dignity since 1980. Learn more at Compassion & Choices as it CompassionAndChoices.org. assists families such as mine 21 State Spotlight: Vermont gives me great satisfaction.” 22 Five Questions for Olympia Dukakis – Kathy Cerminara, Fort Lauderdale, FL inside view words & pictures MAGAZINE Chief Editor “There’s nothing else in the United The Power Sonja Aliesch States that so many people agree Art Director with,” Compassion & Choices of You Bhavna Kumar President Barbara Coombs Lee Director of Communications told Diane Rehm on her NPR- Each of us holds the potential to & Marketing syndicated show, referring to the 70 percent of effect great change. Grassroots Gwen Fitzgerald people who support aid in dying. The episode aired initiatives like the end-of-life Contributors one week after the painful death of Rehm’s husband, choice movement grow gradu- Barbara Coombs Lee John, from Parkinson’s disease. Since he lived in Mickey MacIntyre ally, one person at a time, doing Jane Sanders Maryland – a state without a death-with-dignity Archbishop Desmond Tutu what we can to contribute. Sean Crowley law – John voluntarily stopped eating and drinking Anne Singer It may be a financial gift, a (VSED) to end his suffering. petition signature, a passed-on Advertising, Rights & Permission Compassion & Choices magazine or simply a conversation about why this issue is important. PO Box 101810 And all those individual efforts eventually add up to major results Denver, CO 80250 “He was six feet tall, 120 pounds, and that influence decision-makers, change laws and improve lives at 800.247.7421 (t) he died … it was a horrible death. 303.639.1202 (t) Stephen Hawking every stage. 303.639.1224 (f) People should have the right to choose,” CompassionAndChoices.org Paramus nurse and Compassion & Supporters all over the country are proving the impact of a single [email protected] Choices New Jersey Leadership action. Dr. Rebecca Moss (p. 6) turned the pain of her husband’s This publication is a benefit for members Committee member Debra Dunn said of her late and donors of Compassion & Choices husband on WABC-TV’s New Jersey Viewpoint. dementia into an op-ed that was picked up by 30 different newspa- with our national office at: Richard Branson pers, spurring more than 300 readers to ask Compassion & Choices 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 522 Washington, D.C. 20036 The program cited C&C’s poll showing 62 percent for our dementia provision. A growing number of politicians are of Garden State voters support death with dignity. making public statements in support of death-with-dignity laws and Postmaster: International Voices Back pledging to work toward their passage (p. 8). Eric Kress (p. 11), as Send address changes to: Compassion & Choices One week later, the state Assembly Health and Senior Assisted Dying the first physician in Montana to speak out about providing aid in PO Box 101810 Services Committee approved the Aid in Dying for dying to patients, was key to keeping that option legal in his state. Denver, CO 80250 International media sources buzzed with Bulk postage paid at Denver, CO, the Terminally Ill Act. and additional mailing offices. enthusiastic support from notable figures I thank all of you for the many ways you help make a difference; In the normal course of business, Compassion for Britain’s pending assisted-dying bill, they’re all so important. Let’s each keep doing what we can to build & Choices regularly exchanges mailing lists “I watched my mother modeled on Oregon’s Death-With-Dignity with other like-minded organizations. If you toward a more autonomous end of life for everyone. would like to have your name removed from beg for death,” Con- law. Retired Anglican Archbishop of South these exchanges, please notify us in writing, necticut State Senator Africa Desmond Tutu stated, “I have been including your name and address. We will honor your wish upon receipt of your request. Gary Holder-Winfield told U.S. News & World Report. fortunate to spend my life working for His mother’s experience led Holder-Winfield to add dignity for the living. Now I wish to apply Credits support of the state’s death-with-dignity bill to his my mind to the issue of dignity for the Barbara Coombs Lee cover + p. 22-24: photos courtesy of Olympia Dukakis campaign message. He handily defeated a death-with dying. I revere the sanctity of life – but not PA, FNP, JD, President p. 2: photo by Owen Carey -dignity opponent in the election for the Senate seat. at any cost.” Legendary physicist Stephen p. 3: Stephen Hawking photo - Dimitrios Hawking said, “We should not take away Kambouris/WireImage collection/Getty “People don’t want to die … but they are dying,” P.S. As I’m sure you noticed, we’ve freshened Images the freedom of the individual to choose President Barbara Coombs Lee said to U.S. News. our look a bit. This issue debuts our new logo p. 6-7: photos courtesy of Rebecca Moss to die.” And according to entrepreneur and design of Compassion & Choices magazine. “And they want to have aid-in-dying medication in p. 8: photo courtesy of House Democrats of CT Richard Branson, “An assisted-dying law Here’s to bolder and brighter days ahead! case their dying process is unbearable.” p. 9: photo courtesy of MD Governor’s Office would not result in more people dying, but in fewer people suffering.” 2 COMPASSION & CHOICES MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2014 CompassionAndChoices.org 3 Collected over Published keeping count words to live (and letters die) to by 10,000 the editor petition 47by supporters signatures “LIKE”/ “SHARE”: Ways to give personal endorse- ment on Facebook. When One by one, Compassion someone “likes” or “shares” & Choices advocates over are Collected Published Facebook content, it appears adding power to the end- letters to on their timeline and in their of-life choice movement. PETITION: nearly Recruited friends’ news feeds, increasing In the10 past year,000 we have: the editor A written request that people 47 its audience. Further, “liking” sign to show they want a govern- Gained an organization’s page petition by supporters ing body, person or organization subscribes you to its to do or change something. An signatures notifications and updates. 8,462 example70active is gathering volunteers signatur0 es new donors over to put a measure on a ballot. Collected Published Another is petitioning a county letters to Board of Commissioners to 10,000 the editor take an action. petition 47by supporters over Collected over Published signatures Published letters to Amassed 20,344 letters to Recruited nearly 10,000 the editor 10,000 the editor 47by supporters Facebook fans petition byGained supporters over signatures Collected Published signatures letters to CANVASS: 8,462 70active10 volunteers,000Recruited0 nearly the editor new donors 47 To ask people what they think Gained petition by supporters about an issue, candidate, project or idea, to poll how they signatures GRASSROOTS: will vote, or to gain their 8,462 70active volunteers0 support. Canvassing can include new donors Movements created sponta- going door to door or making neously through a collective Recruited nearly telephone calls. Recruited desire for change and fueled by Gained Amassed 20,344 the activities of individuals with Gained shared goals at the local level. FacebookAmassed fans 20,344 Volunteers choose their involve- 8,462 70active volunteers0 ment,Recruited including distributing nearly 8,462 70active volunteers0 information, holding meetings new donors Facebook fans Gained and talking directly with others Find out how you can help in these and to increase support. other ways by calling 800.247.7421 8,462 70active volunteers0 or visiting www.bit.ly/ccgetinvolved! new donors / Amassed 204 ,344COMPASSION & CHOICES MAGAZINE SUMMER 2014 CompassionAndChoices.org 5 Facebook fans Amassed 20,344 Facebook fans By Rebecca Moss, M.D One day in April 2004 my husband of 45 years, L. Howard Moss, III, laid “ down for a nap, woke up, did not know who I was, and never knew again. I became a caregiver in an instant and threw myself into providing him all the warmth and safety and bits of happiness I could, and at first, he could manage simple self-care tasks. Tragically, my highly educated scientist husband not only did not know his wife and family – this condition is called “Capgras syndrome” – but he had also lost what are called “higher functions,” to understand even simple things, such as how to make a telephone call or turn on a radio.