Abstract

Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) legislation was passed in Canada in 2016, yet the bereavement experience of family and friends is not well understood. Using interpretive description, we interviewed nine bereaved individuals. The time before the assisted death seems most impactful—an experience of bringing death to life shapes bereavement after death. We identified themes that inform this grieving: (1) certainty of date/time of death—intensifies a parade of lasts, initiates a countdown and affords time to say good-bye; (2) active family engagement as planners supports sense-making; and (3) enacting MAiD as ceremony slows time to “digest” loss.

摘要

加拿大于2016年通过了濒死医疗援助（MAiD）立法，但对家人和朋友的丧亲经历却知之甚少。使用解释性描述，我们采访了九名丧亲者。辅助性死亡之前的时间似乎最有影响力-将死亡带入生活的经历塑造了死后丧亲。我们确定了导致悲伤的主题：（1）确定死亡的日期/时间—加剧了last折游行，发起了倒计时，并有时间说再见；（2）积极的家庭参与，因为计划者支持理性的建立；（3）在仪式上颁布MAiD减慢了“消化”损失的时间。