When you or your loved ones require Los Angeles end of life care, Faith & Hope stands as your trusted health care facility. At our care center, the End of Life Option Act is available for those who reach a point in their journey in which pain and suffering are too great and quality of life has greatly diminished. The Act allows certain terminally ill adults to request and obtain a prescription for medication to end their lives in a peaceful manner. The Act outlines the process of obtaining such medication, including safeguards to protect both patients and physicians.
Faith & Hope Hospice and Palliative Care recognizes the patient’s right to choose and respects self-determination. While we neither actively encourage nor deny the use of the End of Life Options Act, we strongly support the patient’s right to choose at our hospice serving Burbank, CA. As end-of-life professionals, we see it as our duty to be ready, qualified, and educated to provide any and all end of life care options available, including the End of Life Option Care Act without judgments or personal opinions. We have a team of specialized physicians, social workers, and nurses who will assess for qualification as well as educate and help our patients through this journey when requested. The following are the State of California’s eligibility requirements for the End of Life Option Act:
- Adults-18 years or older
- Life-limiting illness that is incurable and irreversible
- Prognosis of 6 months or less
- Mentally capable of making informed medical decisions
- Voluntarily request a prescription for aid-in-dying without influence from others
- Self-administer and ingest the medication themselves
We realize that choosing this option can be difficult for the patient and may cause considerable distress and even conflict within families. It is not an option that anyone takes lightly. Therefore, we work closely with patients who are considering this choice to help with the decision-making process, family discussion, and navigating the process to utilize the End of Life Option Act. We will champion the patient’s decision, whether or not they choose to use this option. And, if the patient changes their mind, we will support them with that as well.
Many agencies and physicians have opted-out of participating in the End of Life Option Act, making it difficult for patients to find physicians who will complete the process or provide the final prescription. Faith & Hope is proud to have physicians available who can serve as the attending physician and as the consulting physician. They can even meet the patient at their home if travel is too taxing for the patient. We will also have one of our nurses present when the patient uses the drug if they want a medical professional present. Our Los Angeles end of life care is second to none and we take our patients’ concerns very seriously.
Please call us at (626) 869-2151 or email us at info@faithandhopehospice.com if you would like more information about the End of Life Option Act or want to know how we can assist you in exploring this option.