Exploring the Death With Dignity Act

Part of our Aging Well series

Since 2009, medical aid in dying has been legal in Washington State under particular circumstances. The Death with Dignity Act (RCW 70.245) contains a highly specific set of definitions and situations that allow a terminally ill individual to choose the time and manner of their death. Health care partners including physicians, pharmacists, and sometimes mental health professionals may be involved in this complex process, and many of us don’t know when and for whom this type of physician assistance is available. Join social worker and longtime volunteer Arline Roller Hinckley as she provides resources and guides us through the ins and outs of the law, drawing on her own experiences with patients and families as a Volunteer Client Advisor for End of Life Washington. The session will include plenty of time for your questions.

Speakers

Arline Hinckley, MSW, ACSW

Volunteer Client Advisor, End of Life Washington

Arline Roller Hinckley is a social worker who spent her career working with terminally ill adults. For 30 years she has been involved in end of life issues and organizations and has served on the boards of several of them, most recently End of Life Washington, where she continues to work as a Volunteer Client Advisor (VCA). “Helping people have a good death is a gift to them and to their families,” Arline has said. “I hope that part of my legacy is the thought that I helped people at a vulnerable point in their lives.”

Additional Resources

Arline Roller Hinckley’s presentation slides

Additional resources provided by Arline Roller Hinckley: